Seems to me that people should never trust the press. How often do people assume something is true because it has been printed? Why let the truth get in the way of a good story.
I reckon that none of the drama on this thread would (might?) have happened if the press had asked the source of the story to verify what was going to be printed.
OT: Interesting conversation on PPRUNE where someone actually volunteered that they are a journo:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=225554