The Media is the Root of all Evil

The advent of the internet signalled a downturn in fact-checking, rumor validity, and yellow journalism by the esteemed press.
They're like a herd of cattle.  When a rancher sees a weakened member, he/she will cull the herd because one bad apple can spoil the bushel.  But the press have another motive other than preventing disease in their herd...securing readers for their sponsors. 
In the dinosaur days before digital technology, a city would have one or two newspapers.  They didn't have much competition for ad space (as many companies would advertise in both to make sure every reader knew who they were), so there was no need to be stupid with headlines.  But today a "click" can reveal hundreds of thousands of possibilities; the online papers need to find a "hook" to make sure Joe Netsurfer selects their webpage, then a counter reads the hit, and the sponsors know readers are able to see their banner (although do any of you EVER read the ads?  I don't...which is why I chose not to have ads on my blog).
To keep the ticker ticking, they need a culprit.
A cull will be spotted in the herd, one who has had a run of bad luck or stupidity, and the press will pounce to make sure they can wring the story of its last valuable ounce.
So who is the new cull?  Not Lindsey Lohan (too predictable), not Ashley/Cheryl Cole (she survived malaria and a sham marriage to Cashley), no...it's Wayne Rooney.
I didn't want to weigh in on this saga because it has spun out of control.  And really...do any of us know the true story anymore?  With these footballers it is so easy to float a rumor in the press and watch it expand to the size of the Titanic...and then watch it sink after no proof surfaces.
But Wayne's issue has been particularly scathing.  He allegedly (remember...nobody except the idiotic, lowlife hooker who bared her soul...and other things...has admitted to anything) shagged an ugly bird, who then blabbed to the press (after a year had gone by...hmmmmm).  Did he or didn't he?  Don't know.  His wife has chosen to stay with him (of course...she's used to spending Wayne's money a la John Terry's wife ad nauseam) so the story would seemingly be dead.  But OH NO.
NOW it has spun in to a "Wayne is leaving United" fest that I'm sure originated from a scrawl on a stadium loo wall. 
To give you a further lesson in the idiocy of the press, I have compiled a few headlines to prove my point:

from the Daily Mail:

WE DON'T WANT ROO!  REAL MADRID RULE OUT RESCUING MAN UNITED ACE (FOR NOW)

WAYNE ROONEY:  I QUIT!  MANCHESTER UNITED STAR WANTS OUT AFTER ROWS WITH FERGIE

WAYNE'S WAY OUT!  FROM CHELSEA TO REAL MADRID, SPORTSMAIL EXPLORES ROONEY'S MAN UNITED ESCAPE ROUTES

from The Sun:

ROONEY: I WANT TO QUIT...FERGIE BUST-UP OVER TARTS AS MADRID SWOOP

REAL READY FOR ROONEY RAID

BLUE ROON--WAYNE MAY SIGN FOR CITY...AFTER FERGIE BLANKS HIM FOR A MONTH

JOSE:  ROON OFF?  FERGET ABOUT IT

WHY ROO WANTS OUT (this one appears above a smaller headline of "Ashley Cole has Gone Limp")

ROO CAN JOIN CHELSEA: CARLO OPENS DOOR TO TRANSFER STUNNER

and from soccernet:

MOURINHO: ROONEY WILL STAY

Now to give the press some credit, there were a few with actual sense:

ROO TO SPAIN? GET REAL

okay...there was only one.

So you get my point.  The press has gone crazy with a supposed rumor, but then the danger of it is that people think its true because it appears in so many outlets.  This is why I had to comment, because if Jose Mourinho sees fit to comment, then I have free license. :)

 

United saw the writing on the wall (of the loo) and issued a statement saying that Wayne was NOT FOR SALE and the articles were rubbish.

But that hasn't stopped them.

I will leave you with the voice of reason:

"He is a great player...I am convinced he will stay at Manchester United because it is his club. They have the power to keep him and I don't believe in the story.

"When you give a great player a rest you have a story. Rooney is Rooney. He will stay where he is."

--Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger