c130jbloke
When I was reading the first part of your post, I was thinking of exactly what you wrote in the second part.
It is up to the RAF (
PR, Reds
PR or whoever) to control and provide information and if they don't realise it, they need to and get ahead of the game, even to the extent of providing photos to the media so they become the source. It may be a bit distasteful but it would cut down on a fair bit of speculation. As you say, that is the reality of today's world.
.