Hell, the press couldn't even tell you which end of the gun the bullet comes out of - getting into details about the choke or barrel length would probably cause them tp go into seizures. The fact they're trying to push a load of crap about Cheney deliberately aiming a rifle at Whittington just demonstrates their total stupidity; if Cheney had hit him in the neck with a centerfire rifle round, Whittington would most likely have been dead before he even hit the ground.
There are two types of stories above all others where the media can be guaranteed to make complete jackasses of themselves because they don't know doodly-squat yet pretend they're experts, and those are stories involving guns and stories about aviation.
Last night I saw a narrative by the local Texas press. Seems to me that they were indeed in the best position to get the story and check it out. They knew the community and the players in a way no national media person would have.