Dave, I don't have an opinion as to what really happened but don't you think that most Reporters are "told" by the Editor to write the story and then "they" just have to find what data/video/quotes/etc are available and write the story? IMHO, there's no way that Reporters can be authorities or experts on most anything they write about as we see all the time. We, as readers, are left to use that information in whatever context we choose. Just saying OK?
Em