ARCHIVED July 18,2007 News Reporting is DEAD When I was a lad taking a journalism class in high school,(Yes we used to be taught those types of things in school),  I was taught that there were 5 basic rules of news reporting. Who What When Where Why It seems that those basics have now been replaced with Might possibly be... Could be... Sometime... Soon... or May happen Anywhere or Someplace,or It Appears. Oh, do you like my hair?    In an effort to sell the story to the public and get some face time(even on the radio) reporters attempt create a man-made drama from a really dull or non-existent story. Facts are shoved aside for showmanship. Case in Point    Recently there was a boy scout who had become lost while out camping with other boy scouts. (Now when I was young, boy scouts often went camping and often became lost, so the fact that this even became a story is a testament to our reporting media's ability to seek out news stories.)    I listened as a reporter, who clearly had very little to do, speculated, "What could make matters worse is that they boy wears GLASSES!! If he should fall and break them he might not be able to find his way..bla bla bla.     PLEASE, the boy was already lost! None of this was news nor was it even responsible reporting. For those who may have been genuinely concerned about the boys safety, this "reporter" gave them just one more "what if" to ponder. I believe we have enough drama in our lives without having man made "stories" attempt to lead us to the edge of our chairs.    I think the greatest injustice I see is that the credibility of the press, at least for me, is nil. I have read, listened and watched news reports based on pure speculation. Often, I am scratching my head as I later hear people quoting those speculative reports as facts. Hence, my feeling that news reporting is dead.    Bringing real information to the public was the purpose of news reporting at one time and remains a crucial responsibility. Bringing fabricated theories and downright fictitious stories to an audience hungry for facts may be considered "Freedom of the Press", but I see it an irresponsible degradation of credibility of the once respected and honorable profession of reporting the news.     Next news story or report you see, ask if it has the facts about Who, What, When, Where, and Why. If it doesn't, it's not news. I will have much more on this later as I persue my website work.