sadly the attiude of the media does not surprise me. Most local newspapers are 90% crime reports direct from the old bills press office, these provide reporters with cheap, easy and mostly accurate copy on a plate.
OTOH dealing with “naughty people” can mean a journo is themselves questioned by cops, made to hand over material, has equipment like cameras and recording gear seized “to obtain evidence” or is held in cells so they miss their deadline (and thus their pay, if they are freelance) – not surprising those who suceed in the business tend to be on the cops’ side (They also get inside info about stuff and even accompany cops on raids etc – and having “friends in blue” is important for crime reporters now radio scanners no longer work in much of the UK…)
You do get the odd idealistic young journo trying to put a positive message across – but they will get leaned on by their bosses (even music press would be unlikely to fully support free party reports when their paying advertisers are commercial clubs) – remember media jobs are scare, hard to keep and there is a lot of competition.
Even the most idealistic reporter will cave in when their dream job is under threat..
