If you were a serious student and thought you would "make a difference", would you be able to justify your role in triviality?

Specifically:
I have a “news magazine” show on TV as background noise. The voiceover might be; “Murder in the suburbs, what are the warning signs? But, first… Why does this dog go crazy every time the toilet flushes? Find out… after this message.”

I wondered about the earnest journalism students I knew. Did they ever see themselves luring in an audience with a dog and a toilet? Do they justify the fluff by thinking that brings the audience in for the serious issues, or when do they stop kidding themselves?