The reason that the internet will never replace the newspapers is simple...bloggers are a bunch of computer dorks in pajamas while reporters are, you know, real live reporters.
Of course, that hasn't prevented Pro Football Talk from masquarading as a news site and posting unsubstantiated rumors based on as trustable a source as "I heard this from a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy." Orson at EDSBS very rightly takes PFT to task for some Brady Quinn rumor mongering, even if Notre Dame bashing is the new black. Not to get all Sunday Preacher on you but when breaking what would be front page news it typically helps to have a named source. And this certainly isn't the first time PFT has propositioned a rumor as fact.
To recap the typical PFT rumor mongering goes something like this...
Step 1. Make a bold statement, like T.O. wears women's underwear. Cite unnamed sources and provide no evidence.
Step 2. Established newspaper interviews Cowboys/Eagles/49ers teammates about rumor. Confirms rumor is false.
Step 3. PFT slightly modifies original story while reconfirming its accuracy. Still does not provide evidence.
Step 4. Everyone eventually forgets the rumor and moves on. PFT continues making childish jokes about T.O. wearing women's underwear.
Step 5. Wait a few months and go back to Step 1.
I'm not saying everything PFT writes is wrong, just pointing out how PFT is a perfect example of what's wrong with the internet. It's real easy to dress up a half truth everyone already wants to believe, the internet is perfect for this. It's much more difficult to uncover the actual truth and then prove your story true. I just don't think there will ever be an internet version of Woodward and Bernstein.
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