Good for you. I tell people all the time to never trust everything they see in print or hear on tv. It is just too easy for journalists to be manipulated, or to manipulate the story themselves. The bigger the story, the bigger the stakes, the more likely the "sources" are going to try to push an agenda. Again, never rely on a single source for the information you are using to make decisions!

We work hard to present the facts, but in complex stories, it requires more than a single story, or a 30-second clip, to do the job right. Journalists are called to make judgements on the quality of our sources, which is reflected in our coverage. I expect nothing less from our readers. Judge the information you use to make decisions based on the credibility of the source. The main stream media usually does a good job of coverage over the long haul, but you have to balance many sources to develop a reasonable understanding of complex issues like global warming.

My biggest fear is our society is trending in the opposite direction . . . with the Internet we can "customize" our news so we only get our "facts" from sources we agree with and ignore any sources which do not valid our own positions.

As for the business -- I sell my paper a year in advance. My readers are less concerned about this week's headlines as they are with the consistency and quality of coverage of local issues. I have enough issues in my own backyard to work on, thank goodness I don't have to worry about reporting on global warming!