Biggles, I'm sure that's a big part of it, but I think the rot started in the late 80s with the 'news as entertainment' phenomenon. Instead of presenting unbiassed facts, news now has to be exciting, emotive and entertaining. This leads to a trend for big, breathless headlines that generate excitement, such as FORCED LANDING BY PLANE IN TROUBLE, because 'Routine fuel stop by aircraft with a relatively minor engine problem' just isn't nearly as attention grabbing. I don't know whether it's the journos or the public that drives this crap but it's nearly killed accurate reporting.
