The press is simply perpetuating the lie by Michael Schiavo's lawyers and the courts that Terri is in a Persistent Vegetative State.
Some media outlets are now starting to change their reports to "brain-damaged" and "near vegetative state."
The press is clueless about these medical terms, but since a court (Judge Greer's court) has "found" her to be PVS, I guess they can fall back on those findings for their articles.