Scroll through the New York Times’ Instagram Reels and a new editorial strategy is immediately evident. Amid breaking news and investigative reporting are celebrities cooking in the Times’ kitchen, giving culture recommendations to the camera, and chatting with journalists in a format nearly indistinguishable from a celebrity video podcast.

Charlize Theron opens up about her family trauma. Lena Dunham divulges the effect of online hate on her mental health. Taylor Swift discloses the personal backstory of a hit song. Even political actors get the clippable celebrity heart-to-heart treatment: Tucker Carlson, a teacup and microphone set before him at a kitchen table, reveals what it was really like to be in Donald Trump’s inner circle.

It’s not just the New York Times. In a mad scramble for attention in an industry where traditional revenue models have collapsed and engagement reigns supreme, most legacy media outlets are likewise trafficking in celebrity-driven content. Meanwhile, the famous tabloid site TMZ has approached the merger from the opposite direction by opening a Washington bureau, with headlines no less tawdry than its usual fare.