Pat,
You have to understand that most professional pilots have spent their entire adult lives working with exact numbers for a multitude of legal / procedural and safety reasons. In an industry where a seemingly minute detail can have massive consequences, it incenses Pilot's no end when journo's seem to make up stories with little regard to truth or accuracy (in general).
It's largely thanks to these "journalists" that the general public (and some pilots) hold true the misconception that not only do aircraft operate themselves but they (the aircraft) possess some sort of higher brain function that tells the mindless pilot how to fly.
