We've now seen the first story of abridged civil liberties due to the Patriot Act. Some media outlets were all over it, while some waited for confirmation. They were smarter. The story about the kid who checked out Mao's Little Red Book and then got a visit from the FBI was a hoax meant to burn the Patriot Act, and a lot of news outlets wanted to trash the Act so bad they didn't make sure the story was true. At least plenty weren't fooled.

In toher news, NBC announced that the retail holiday season was "ho-hum." Thos of us who bother to check facts might learn that "ho-hum" means super-awesome, since overall receipts were up 8.7% from last year according to Reuters, and Amazon said it was their best holiday ever.

If NBC and other old school media outlets want to keep the trust of the public. maybe they should stop doing things like calling one of the best holiday shopping seasons ever "ho-hum." Blatant dishonesty in pursuit of an agenda does not engender trust.