Almost all media personalities today have come to the conclusion (some reluctantly, some with eager enthusiasm) that they need to be advocates for some social tribe or other. That the days of being fair-minded, rational, and dispassionate are over. 
While they're probably right to believe most readers today are drawn to heat and not light, I do think they've gone too far. There is still an audience for nuanced, clear-headed analysis of social issues, grounded in reason and empiricism. It's not a large audience, but it's there. Unfortunately, as you note, their self-interest deters them from sticking their nose out to challenge the orthodoxies that are embraced by their tribe.