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.
(..) I can get you out of here. How's that? They key's run off. I helped build these cells. These are half-pin barrel hinges. With the right leverage and the proper application of strength. The door will lift free. What's your name? Will Turner. (..)2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl