Pervasive materialistic culture, pervasive cult money

Some days ago, there was much hand-wringing in cer tain quarters over what was called paid news. It was alleged that politicians paid under-the-table to buy space in print and audio-visual media without actually acknowledging such payments. In particular, the case of the Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan was cited to buttress the new malaise in the Indian media. Apparently, in the recent Assembly election in the State, a Marathi newspaper had devoted several pages daily during the campaign to laud the candidature of Chavan without in anyway informing the readers that it was paid to do so. The case was first highlighted by a conscientious journalist. Subsequently, the Opposition parties had demanded an inquiry and sought the intervention of the Election Commission. Following the public controversy, the Editors' Guild of India too got into the act, setting up a small committee to consider ways to deal with the problem. Predictably, the Election Commission failed to penalize either the offending candidate or to seek an explanation from the guilty newspaper. As for the Editor's Guild, it came out with a set of recommendations which are so general in nature that even a majority of its own members cannot be expected to heed them, especially if pecuniary gain is sufficiently attractive for them or the news organizations they work for.
So,what is the solution? We are afraid none. The reason is not far to see. Like the rest of society, the media oh, sorry, the Fourth Estate too has been seduced by the pervasive materialistic culture. To expect that it would remain untouched by the pervasive cult of money is to be wholly unrealistic. Admittedly, ordinary people expect the media, as also the judiciary, to follow lofty principles of honesty and fair play. Yet, along with the decline in the standards of personal and professional ethics in every other walk of life, there has been a perceptible decline in adherence to accepted norms of behaviour in the media as well. There is no point pretending it to be otherwise. For instance, not long ago, there was a marked division of labour in any news organization. The management, editorial and press workers constituted separate sections which found separate representation in every wage board set up by the government to determine industry pay-scales. Now, the wall between the editorial and the management has been pulled down in most newspapers, causing a further blurring of lines between the commercial and the editorial. The paid news phenomenon is a natural corollary of the unwholesome fusion of the managerial and the editorial.

Could you please explain to me the emboldened parts?
Though I know "pervasive" means "very obvious".
Source : http://www.freepressjournal.in/FPJ/FPJ/2010/04/05/ArticleHtmls/05_04_2010_005_023.shtml?Mode=1