> The truth is, journalism has cratered.

There's an old quote addressing exactly that:

   "When you’re young, you look at television and think, There’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic! You can shoot the bastards! We can have a revolution! But the networks are really in business to give people what they want. It’s the truth."

It's not that journalism has cratered, it only reached a level of what people are willing to consume.