And up until the very last second that someone is actually indicted or not indicted, the MSN can smear, spin and trash whoever they want. That's why Cheeny's name came up in every news cast/article/editorial today. Just mentioning his name in this context implies some kind of guilt. They don't have to have any facts. Making stuff up is better than facts for them.
Most people aren't too swift and they're lazy. So they get their view of the world from TV's big three nightly newscasts while they eat TV dinners and drink themselves numb. What local newsprint they do read is fed by NYT, AP and Reuters.
Yes, it's deplorable, but the MSM is diminishing in its ability.