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At one point, media companies thought of their news departments as a way to discharge their obligation to perform a public service. News wasn't for profit. And even at a local level, most newspapers were owned by a sole-proprietorship or family-owned company who were serious news-hounds. Again, profit wasn't their primary motive.
Once that changed, and news was expected to make ever-increasing profits, news itself changed into infotainment. Consolidate for efficiencies of scale. Bring in a bigger audience. Don't upset the advertisers. Don't contradict the organizations who feed you press releases for your stories. Play to a market segment you can control. It's not news anymore. It's just a product. You have to pay very close attention, read between the lines, and look through the back pages to get real news now. It's a little unsettling.