News?

One of the top items on Connecticut NPR morning news today was the fact that Chris Murphy, a candidate for Senate, issued a new advertisement. We learned the vital facts that the ad runs for 30 seconds and attacks his opponent. Why is this news?  And why would a station like NPR stoop to this level?  More time has been spent analyzing advertisements in this campaign than in analyzing the few positions the candidates have espoused.  Remember the days when the media was called the "fourth estate"?