hobie you are absolutely 100% spot on; the shorter the information, the greater the speculation. Worst of all is when the tip-off comes in from punters rather than aviation workers; stories tend to be embellished in the telling.
Woodman the MEN do not have a reporter at MAN, but you're right to say there are a few local press agencies with good understanding of the issues - which means better reporting. As a news editor, a lot of the copy I receive about aviation matters is scandalously bad. I hit 'delete'.
Alastair