Hi Forte,
Professionalism journalism is long dead and buried.
ALL media is hearsay and inherently unreliable except for peer reviewed scientific research which requires expert testimony to substantiate. I have a friend who's a pharmaceutical executive. He was paid HUGE money for his expert testimony.
Investigative journalism is often useless depending upon the agenda of the one doing the investigating. Regardless, investigative journalism work products are considered hearsay and as such are inherently unreliable.
If one were to go with hearsay of MSM investigative journalists, there was no fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election. To believe that, I'd have to believe witnesses who witnessed vote fraud and swore under penalty of perjury of fraud (felonies) that they were lying or didn't see what they saw. There were too many independent witnesses (they had no connection to each other) who witnessed vote fraud to believe "investigative journalists" who've declared to the contrary.
The onus is on the reader, which is too often the problem. Research of about 2 years ago found that 50% of Ivy League students couldn't discern real from fake news. Worse, a majority have no clue of what to do with authentic, factual information. They lack intellectual skills necessary to link related concepts to distinguish patterns and formulate plausible predictions. In essence, factual info is useless to the majority of Americans.
Gun magazines are entertainment created to sell advertising space, which is in itself applied art of separating consumers from their money. If shooters want factual info about guns and ballistics, they should peruse professional law enforcement and medical journals, especially peer reviewed scientific research.
The way I see it, the best source of factual info is my experience. My experience was the impetus for my selling my other brands of 1911-A1s and going with Springfield Armory 1911-A1s exclusively.
If I were in the market for a new gun of any type, I'd talk to shooters who own a copy of what I might be considering. For instance, I'd like to buy an O/U shotgun. I'm thinking of going with Beretta based upon its reputation and my experience with its semiauto bird guns. But I have no personal knowledge of Beretta O/U bird guns. My guess is peer reviewed research of O/U shotguns is nonexistent. Hence, recommendations from Beretta O/U bird gun owners will almost assuredly guide my purchase. I would not rely upon gun magazine entertainment for direction. An investigative journalist might have undisclosed bias for his favorite bird gun, so his article would be worthless. However, actual experience of O/U bird gun owners might just be the best source of info. When it has been fleshed out, I might go with a brand I have yet to consider.
Never underestimate the knowledgeable experience of another.
The corollary to the above: "Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity."
---Mark Twain (attributed)
