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The standard mode of operation at ESPN has been, spend several minutes wringing all the juiciness out of the allegations, then at the end of the report say, "The New England Patriots have issued issued a statement denying the allegations".
Well said. And, it applies to all media cluster f^@ks, not just what's happened to the Patriots. With very few exceptions, print and broadcast media writers, producers and on-air "talent" are lazy.
They pick a story that comes to them, that both has high potential appeal to their target audience and that is easiest to "sell" in 30 on-air seconds or in a lead paragraph.
Then they strip it down to digestible factoids, discard contrary evidence or opinions and feed it to the masses. Voila! The Evening News any night of the week.
Remember, they aren't interested in the "truth" but in a "story."
Spygate was a great "story." Feeding anti-Patriot fervor was easy. It became a full employment act for producers and commentators.
It's about darn time that the Patriots started fighting back. As I posted out here on the day the story broke in September, they should have started right away!