What reporting is all about

In a very good article about the media's failure during Katrina, Hugh Hewitt makes this great point:

Discussing the meltdown on MSNBC on September 27, reporter Heath Allen defended the hysterical reporting, arguing that, '[I]t's the responsibility of the photojournalist to capture that and put it on television because those people at that point needed help no matter what was true, what was false, what was exaggerated.' Thus is established the 'fake but necessary' corollary to the Rathergate doctrine of 'fake but true.'

I'd only add "and to the NY Times doctrine of 'fake but accurate.' All of which can be summed up as the global media doctrine of 'fake but acceptable because it harms George Bush.'"