Agree with entire post - you said it so well. The old method of "news" has become tainted and it is time to reassert some integrity into the methods of delivery so that we never fall into the hack mentality again ever.
The internet can succeed if allowed to flourish and as future writers become even more adept at research and questioning and curiosity.
You write: "....and there isn't a damned thing they can do about it."
My concern is that because of its accurately perceived success:
.... the United Nations, and certainly segments of the global governmental bureaucracy will do everything they can to seize control of the flow of information to the public....
fresh, innovative, researched, argued, up-front NEWS and INFORMATION.
We must protect the innocence and vitality of what we have, never to release its spontenaity to a controlling group, and in order to do this, we must ever strive to keep the internet and what we produce, always a quality product, with a goal of the highest standard.
Very well put. This is our challenge and goal.