I was under the impression that common practice required mainstream providers of journalistic products to hire providers of such products (known to some as "journalists") to have some type of training in said field.
Apparently, opinion is divided on that subject.
Here's Jarrett Walker, transit blogger, to provide in-depth instruction to those who seemingly have no clue about how journalism should function.
Specifically, instruction to those journalists who insist on giving equal weight and credibility to people who are emotional, expressing opinions, or just flat-out lying, to those who are expressing objective fact.
The subject here is transit, and specifically pro-transit officials or private advocates versus the emotional reactions of local government officials, property owners and or NIMBYs to potential transit installations.
However, this session of desparately needed instruction relates equally well to Birthers, Tenthers, constitutional originalists, Libertarians, and other fringe kooks in the political arena. It's a good read. Enjoy.
http://www.humantransit.org/...