The problem does not lie with the journalist

In his book The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb talks about how media journalists like to propose a cause for news items to make matters more concrete. After describing the phenomenon he says:

"The problem of overcausation does not lie with the journalist, but with the public. Nobody would pay one dollar to buy a series of abstract stastics reminiscent of a boring college lecture. We want to be told stories..."

I would like to argue that we can take the structure of these sentences and apply them to aspects of the media that we are so critical about, such as sensationalism, editorial bias, and they will make perfect sense. Just try:

"The problem of [put down what you don't like about the media here] does not lie with the journalist, but with the public. Nobody would pay a dollar to.... We want to be ...."

The truth cannot be more obvious. We, the media consumers, are the problem. The media are just feeding us with what we are wailing for.

Much as we believe we are helpless against yellow journalism, the day we all refuse to pay that one dollar, everything will be cleaned up.