The Internet has made the need for the quickest scoop an overriding priority for much of the press, supposedly in the name of the public interest, but more in their self interest.

Quick quiz - If the administration revoked the press passes of those who asked stupid questions, how many would be left after one day?

As an aside, one of the gutsiest reporters I have seen in recent years was John Simpson of the BBC. He stayed in Baghdad during the Gulf War probably long after it would have been prudent to leave. He managed to describe a cruise missile flying past his hotel, and whispered a live report of the chaos around him sitting behind a low wall while an Iraqi squad was on the other side.