Pander
Etymology
From Pandarus, the go-between who procures Cressida for Troilus in Boccaccio, Chaucer, and Shakespeare’s tellings of the Troilus and Cressida story. His name became "pandar," a procurer or pimp, and then the verb "to pander" — to cater to disreputable appetites. The modern political and media sense keeps that whiff of servile gratification.
verb · /PAN-der/
To indulge or gratify someone’s baser tastes or desires for advantage.
What it names
A pointed word for flattering the lowest instincts of an audience rather than serving them well.
Example
The network chased ratings by pandering to outrage instead of reporting.
Related idea
To pander is to serve someone’s low desires for your own gain; to be obsequious is to fawn from servility — catering to appetite versus grovelling to a person.
See also