"As far as journalistic competence, it is not just science on which they are incompetent. I just shake my head at conclusions reached based on "government studies." "

More than just 'government studies' (which usually DO have to meet some academic standards, and are checkable), I'm most troubled by the ease in which lobby groups can propagandize their 'tame reporters' with pre-written stories that only need a change in by-line to go out over national news media outlets. Add to that the influence of death threats against reporters on certain beats (particularly, say, the middle east, where ALL the stringers seem co-opted by terorist groups and act as their mouthpieces, even their photo fakers and forgers), and the corporate agreements to soft-pedal coverage in order to get plum bureaux permissions (such as Saddamite Iraq, or today's Havana, or even Beijing), you have a formula for pervasive news fraud. The only antidote -- consumer awareness, because it AIN'T ever going to get better.