I got the impression that the number 1 priority is lots of lovely piccies... the words come second
Good pictures are important, but if the words are cr*p then it's all a waste of time.
Having said that, I think you are right in that editors now seem to put a greater emphasis on pictures and perhaps not enough on the words. I think that's a reflection of our 'presentation before content' society where 'looking good' is sometimes considered more important than 'being good'.
Consider 'Pilot' magazine back in the days when it was the only one on the market. It had far rewer pages, smaller photos, and colour only on the cover. But the writing was generally of a far higher standard than any of the mags today (OK, not all of it - but there were some gems in most issues).
These days, the mags are thick, but comprise many big and glossy pictures. Quality writing is lacking, and it very unusual indeed to come across a really well written piece - or indeed a really badly written piece.
Bland writing. Short-attention-span articles, lots of pics!
SSD