Whatever Happened to Real Investigative Reporting?

Let me start by saying that this is not a critique solely against the editors of Alamogordo Town News.
Most of the so called investigative journalism these days centers around political scandals and bribes and other things of that nature.  These are things that are good to know about, but there are a lot of other things that warrant further scrutiny that just aren't getting it.
The story on PFAS contamination is a good example.  I'm sure a lot of people looked at those stories and thought, shame on the military for dumping these chemicals, this is a huge health hazard, what are they trying to cover up?
I looked at the story, and the first thing that popped into my mind was; how can creatures survive at all with 10,000 - 30 million times the safe level of a chemical in their system?  The animals aren't only surviving, they're thriving.  And yet no one bothered to ask any real questions, no alarms went off in anyone's head, other than we have to get rid of the military and industry.
With just a couple hours of research, I was able to determine that the EPA set standards in place that basically ban all PFAS's without any science to back up their actions.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Those who know how, will always have a job, but those who know why, will always be the boss."  When did we stop asking WHY?
2nd Life Media has limited staff, and limited resources, and even though I call them out fairly often, I believe they do a pretty good job overall.  I would like to see them question the stories they get a little more often, but I feel the same about all news outlets.
There is also nothing stopping other readers from doing what I have done.  If you see a story that raises questions in your mind, research it and post your findings here in this forum.  The entire community could benefit from you asking the simple question; WHY?