The excessive coverage of the scandal signals that the news media may have finally hit/reached 'the bottom of the barrel'.
Salaries in the industry are scraping/hitting 'the bottom of the barrel'. [=salaries in the industry are very low]
Several people have lost their jobs recently, so the office isn't exactly a 'barrel of laughs' these days.
(..) - (LADDER RATTLING) - GUARD: Get ready! Chains! SOLDIER : You, too! SOLDIER : Catapults ready! Fire pit ready! Open the oil barrels! SLAVE: We should do something. - We should do something. - JUDAH: We should. When they pass, you should bow your head. When they strike, take it. (..)2016 Ben-Hur