[ryan_mcgreal]

I'm inclined to agree with you, beanmedic. I think the first priority for the newspapers should be to report the facts, not play he said-she said with opposing factions. As I like to say, if a group was claiming that the earth is flat, the newspaper article would be titled, 'Opinions differ over shape of earth'.

When someone makes a claim, it's not enough just to report what the person said. The newspaper also has a responsibility to investigate whether the claim is factual and accurate. Unfortunately, that's not the way the newspapers see things.

In the case of Councillor Ferguson's "rebellion" comment, it happened to work out well. Instead of galvanizing opposition to urban revitalization, Ferguson seems instead to have jumped the shark, revealing himself as someone completely out of touch with growing public awareness of climate change, rising energy prices, and auto-dependence.

However, I'm with you in the general case. I'd rather see the newspaper do its job of investigating and reporting the facts.