I would debate whether there are actual reputable publications.
Journalism has always had a sketchy past even going back in history. One can look at the era of "Yellow Journalism" where every paper was basically the national inquirer, and even after that era, you maybe had a period of reliable journalism which journalists themselves hold up as the gold standard, the old "if your mother tells you she loves you, get a second source" or however the old saying goes.
But what happened over the past 20-30 years is a post-modernist movement in journalism where journalists are being taught there is no objective "truth" but only personal "truth", and one must report on their personal truths - meaning tossing objectivity, the very basis of true journalism, out the window. They call it "accountability journalism" because rather than reporting on what is happening, the mentality has shifted into having journalists acting as watchdogs, but you never know for whom, and facts don't matter.
Tying that movement back in to sports, it all ends up being about the almighty dollar, and that's why you see local media always picking on the Bears quarterback, always saying the same things about the football teams, even if at times it is tone deaf - because it gets clicks. It gets reactions.
One of the people on the SCORE who will on occasion actually let some of the "how the meat gets made" secrets out is Danny Parkins, who himself has admitted on air he struggles with the balance between putting out factual info and the click-baity nature of the business, knowing that the score wants their hosts to say things that get a reaction from the audience because it helps their numbers (he said that on air about a year and a half ago).
That's why it cracks me up when people want to defend journalism in general - there have been amazing independent journalists over the years, but it has a very slimy history and track record... there's a reason why teams try to keep the locker room stuff away from the journos, and its not always because the team is doing something nefarious. They just know how dishonest 99% of journalists are, and what they are actually chasing. You can thank that for the boring, stock answers we always get from players and coaches as well...