It is publicity at its worst. Few presidents in history have had a chance to do anything in their first 100 days other than expose their platforms to the public and to Congress. Yet, every president since FDR is measured against the first 100 days. You would think editors would put a stop to this idiocy, but they don't. It is rooted behavior.
Journalists write the stories because they feel compelled to do so.
The politicians spin for the stories because they feel compelled to do so. The public may even read the stories because they think that they have to do so. There are other such stupidities in life that PR practitioners have to deal with. They make no sense and they should have been abandoned long ago, but we do them for no good reason. What all this proves is how little rationality abides in much of public relations.