History Channel today: "we don't know how ancient people built this, so... aliens?
History Channel 30 years ago: "we don't know how ancient people built this, but here's some experimental archeology showing how it might have been done."
How the mighty have fallen.
I don't think it's that simple. I was watching an old HC show on YT. They showed how the terraces were built and how stones might have been moved. Then Ancient Aliens spent the last decade ignoring it to say it's stairs for giants. Media shrinkflation?
Exactly, but most media does react to what gets the most attention, too. It competes in a capitalistic environment, so they do have to sell, too.Either for monetary reason, or to justify their existence (if public media).It falls into that spiral downwards that I see humanity in.
In the case of cable TV, other platforms are competing for quality content. Indie youtubers are often making better documentaries than old-school History and Discovery, for example. The old media tries to stay relevant now by appealing to the least common denominator.