<They provide a product. We consume it; all the while we complain about it.

I like that. Personally, I look on our various news propagators as a source of data, but I pick elements from each propagator and toss these bits into my mental blender, coming up with a concoction a little more factual and a little more truthful than what they would find as a sellable product. When I take a topic head-on, it’s not a pretty site, but I think my arguments become sound. To truly do any news event justice, you must be a consummate thresher of data, a butcher of facts, and a chef of conclusions.

BTW, a chef will always complain about the amount of work he has to do when he’s given low grade material from which to concoct his latest masterpiece -- and this is a profound right.

The more propagator sources I can find, the better -- and even the biased interpretations of newswire stories carry worth, for they show you a point of view otherwise missed.

Dan (still hating reporters -- “...and loving it.” -- Maxwell Smart)