bottom rung:
Nope, not a journo. (nor anything professional in aviation circles). I contribute on a railway preservation Board, and we have learned on there how " off the cuff" comments suddenly become "breaking news" in the next issue of the railway heritage press, so I guess they look for stories, whether founded or not, wherever they can. Walls have ears, as they used to say!!
No offence taken at all, and I hope you likewise.
All the best,
EGCA