Colin, one of the problems that I have seen with most of the network and cable news (both in the US and Canada) is that too much is put on "a panel of experts" or "the former aid to the guy who met the other guys once for dinner"... alot of speculation, alot of opinion, and VERY little news. CNN's Connie Chung tonight runs about 15 minutes of fact, 45 minutes of opinion - it varies, but that is about where the numbers sit.
The current love affair with opinion, talk shows, news magazines, etc is where the door is left open for manipulation. Because the line between information and speculation is blurred, it is easy for people to be mislead, to take comment as fact, and to misunderstand the news.
Because even reporters on scene are being asked to express opinion, everyone in the chain is becoming a potential target for misinformation - and for manipulation by all sides of the story. How often now do you hear comments attributed to a "senior official" or "a well placed source" - that isn't news, that is speculation and rumor...
But that's the way the game is played now. If you can filter the news from the opinion, you are doing good.
Alex
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