Being a 25-year newspaperman myself, I can vouch for what Thad said. I've encountered very few biased reporters in my time, and they tend to be weeded out quickly. But newspapers/TV/Radio must report the things readers want to read. If that derailment happened in a town, or created major blockages in transportation, it would have been reported.

Also, there are a few railfans in the media, but by and large, reporters who cover railroad-related matters are far from being experts on railroads. Most reporters, myself included, are jacks-of-all-trades, masters of none (or few). If I got thrown into an airline-related story, I'd do my best to report it accurately and fairly, but wouldn't have the same level of knowledge as I would with trains.