News nowadays is Brad and Angelina and Lindsay and Paris not what is happening in the world. TV is one huge reality show.
Hally Hunter's character predicted this during her speech.
James L. Brooks hit the nail on the head.
"tabloid" is a bit extreme, or perhaps in the years since this post, they've "pulled back." However, the general concept is the same--news has become "info-tainment." Not only are the stories unnecessarily exaggerated, but newsanchors now spend time before and after the story bantering about it. I know news anchors are people too, but it's not their job to make themselves more appealing and humanistic--they're supposed to report the news so report it and move on.
shareThe 'job' of news anchors is to help their shows get ratings. As far as I can tell, there is a kind of 'sliding scale' in the news biz, in regards to the stories they report, and their approach to reporting them. The anchors on CNN, for example, do little in the way of 'banter' or trying to set a light tone for the stories they report. The morning-based shows, like "Today", tend to have more friendly banter, as they know that lots of viewers actually appreciate a lighter touch.
It's an exxageration, tho, to say that all news reportage these days is tabloid fodder. Virtually all 'hard' news stories get plenty of coverage from the outlets most eager to earn their reputations for being quality outlets. You are more likely to read about politics, business, and international affairs in the New York Times, for example, then about who Tom Cruise is dating lately.