In my view, ads are mostly to blame here. Just because the quantity of news is increasing and average quality of news is deteriorating, that does not mean all news is low quality and misinforming. I've read the NYT and NPR for years, they're still fine sources with actual experts and journalists, and they don't rely upon cheap ads.
If your goal is information, what you really need to avoid is entertainment masquerading as news. Cable news, YT, many podcasts, many subreddits or forums, they're all ideas submitted with little fact checking and little filter. They're shown to you by algorithms and TV executives because they'll captivate, make you fearful, make you react and keep watching more ads.
Is your attention truly worth a couple measly cents of ads to some media corporation?