Why are they spoon-feeding us this rubbish?

Why is it that the local media can spoon-feed the audience and readers with whatever rubbish they please, be it the worthless front page news items mentioned yesterday, the soppy primetime soap operas or the spiteful paparazzi stories? This, I think, has to do with the following foibles of the local readership, which, unfortunately, represents the majority of the population:

• Voyeuristic – Nosing into other people’s affairs or private lives. Why else is there always a crowd of onlookers when there is the slightest commotion on the street?
• Judgemental – Standing on moral high ground and passing moral judgement on other people’s affairs or private lives, completely oblivious of the fact they themselves have as many of the faults as that they can find in others. 
• Unthinking – Not exercising critical thinking and so easily fall prey to whatever ploys that the media use to mislead, sensationalise or intoxicate. 

I have heard some sane people say they have stopped reading the newspaper or even watching television. I can understand why and feel that this is the direction towards which I should move.