When someone is hired into a professional job, is there something in the laws of physics that prevent them from doing wrong?
No, but work of journalists is highly visible. Probably, this creates more incentive to write according to rules of the trade. There are examples of journalists who went with ruling regime and got monetary prizes. Some are switching to it now, betting that regime change again and their dedication will bring rewards.
Almost all of the publishing is ultimately funded by ads, therefore the primary job of everyone involved is to generate ad impressions.
What's being attributed to "professionals" in this thread is actually the opposite of what the job pays for.
I really wonder if this normative phenomenon will be able to survive in the age of AI.