Great point. I wonder how many of these people would have gone into journalism if there were no bylines or face-time. I bet the ranks would be decreased by at least 2/3rds. This is the hypocrisy that really bothers me. They push the message of ‘championing the little people’, all the while fighting to make sure they aren't part of the ‘little people’.
If the top “journalists” didn’t get to go to the right cocktail parties and hobnob with elite politicians and celebs, their ranks would dry up, you are right. Then there are a few who just happen to be born with the right last name, like Wallace or Dickerson.