Those were the days when reporters were thrilled with the kind of detective work that goes with the story. In the post-Watergate era it seems most people get into journalism merely as a way to break a big scandal so they can then go on TV and pontificate. They also crave op-ed positions, where they get to tell people what they think (and what the people SHOULD think).
So reporting isn’t a job, a duty in itself, it’s a mere stepping stone to becoming a personality. They’re so eager for that kind of success, which is so rare, they just start editorializing and pushing their views in ‘news’ stories now.
Willing to bet that damn few of them ever heard of Kipling’s five friends, which was taught to me in my Jr high school civics class.
And as Andy Rooney (RIP) might have asked, “What happened to all the Jr highs any way? And where did this middle school thing come from? Too damned British if you ask me.”