Mr. Goepel's observations here are spot on, on all three counts. I, too, am a journalist, and while I have never worked with someone who intentionally sensationalized railroad-related problems, the fact is most journalists aren't railfans, nor are they experts in railroads in the sense of covering the "railroads" beat. With the continued shrinking staffs, even many mid-sized papers don't even have a dedicated "transportation" reporter. Fortunately, folks at my paper know I'm a train nut, and often consult me on rail-oriented stories, so I hope ours usually come out looking a little better.