Major Media Crisis Continues - Creating a Story

Well, this year has been a sad year for the major media. Dan Rather goes down for forged documents. Bad exit polls betray the Press on election day. And now the day after a MAJOR news story breaks that shows soldiers reaming out Don Rumsfeld, it turns out the soldiers were planted by a reporter looking to manufacture a story. And what is more, he claims he has never been prouder.

The press had always had the power to make a story by deciding what part gets told. You publish the bad photo of the president at a news conference, and suddenly his off-hand comment about "health issues" becomes ominous. You ignore the 3 comments about love and kindess, and publish the 1 comment about anger. But this is over the line. The job of reporters is to TELL the story, not BE the story.

And yes there is independent confirmation despite Drudge.