I think this is key. The journalist Matt Taibbi has been chronicling this and writing detailed analysis of the trend that these 'center-left' publications became suddenly 'far left' (culturally, not economically, if you ask me), very hyperpartisan coastal establishment DNC. Most importantly, the incentive structures within these organizations have found ways to 'weed out' those who don't toe the line: Trump out at any cost.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not lamenting Trump being out. I'm lamenting journalistic integrity being out. It's now fully acceptable to wage a war with a newspaper, something we criticized Fox and the Murdoch papers for doing. But the real loss here is the independent spirit; an independent mind holds opinion even if everyone in the room downvotes them, if they think that opinion is correct and supported with reason. Instead, what we have is a sort of herd mentality where the group decides what's good and bad.
That tech people were hired in droves and this is the result, I find quite scary given how influential young tech companies have become.
Most recently the Times wrote an article that asks the question, on the topic of the beheading in France of the teacher, did France do it to themselves? In reference to the Mohammed cartoons and its secular tradition. Additionally the Times seemed to support suppressing The NY Post's account based on their Biden article.
^^ Both of these examples would never be tolerated by the ethical journalists of yesteryear, when seeking the truth, no matter how ugly took precedence over hyper-partisan The End Justifies the Means attitude being seen here.
But it really comes down to money, doesn't it. As Taibbi documents, the Fox News model has spread to MSNBC and CNN, and of course the Times and Washington Post. Cater to your base is more profitable an idea. That's the real reason the Cotton thing was removed and an editor fired; they feared they'd upset their reader base - their clients.