True story

You may not know it by reading these posts, but I have a degree in Journalism from the prestigious E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. While I may not use that degree in my daily business, I do know how journalists should pursue their work and what that work should be.
It seems that fewer and fewer people do.
One thing that journalists and the news organizations that employ them must do is report facts. If we don't know, as journalists, we investigate to gather facts. All sourced information should be checked against (at least one, preferably more) other sources.
It is not the job of any self-respecting journalist to speculate on ridiculous theories, repeat baseless rumors, question established science, and most of all, to ask viewers/readers opinions of such.

"Hey, I just read this article on tinfoilhat.com about how alien creatures have invaded the bodies of all the Democratic Senators and are causing them to vote against the Bush tax cuts. What do you think?"

As ridiculous and dismissable as that statement is, some bonehead is going to repeat it to his friends: "Journalist Punkinsmom said that the Democrats are bad because of aliens." See? When you begin by citing a "journalist" all of a sudden the absurd gains a little bit of credence.
This is the single-most damaging effect of the Internet. Too many people have what appears to be a legitimate platform. If this blog were dolled up in newspaper graphics, didn't have purple and green type, and were called something like Ohio News Source, a number of ignorant mouth-breathers could stumble upon it and think that all the stuff I write is factual and news.
This happens all the time. Look at how many people believe Onion articles and the Onion is trying to be fake. Compare that with the sites that spend their time concocting conspiracy theories without any basis in fact, but dressed up to look like news.
One day we will become a nation based entirely upon opinion masquerading as fact. There's already an entire cable network set up that way.