MICKEY KAUS: Fact-Checking The Fact-Checkers: Bring Back Beats! “Yes, ‘beat’ reporters are reluctant to piss of their sources. But at least they tend to know the history and context of any dispute. (For example, if you’ve covered the welfare beat you know that Greenberg and Parrott are not in the business of strengthening work requirements.)… And beat reporters don’t have to label policy arguments ‘false’ or ‘true.'”

Plus:

The House voted 250-164 to reject the waivers Thursday, though the Senate will not take up the bill until after the election. Nineteen Democrats joined the Republicans, though that didn’t stop The Hill from calling it a “party line” vote. Someone forgot to tell veteran California Democrat and Clintonite John Garamendi about the “party line” part. … Why do I feel that if one in ten GOPs defected to the Dems, it would be a “bipartisan vote”?

That’s disappointing. The Hill is usually better than that. Plus AP’s Jim Abrams and his “museum quality example of sneering spin.” With AP, alas, it’s not so much a case of disappointment as of meeting expectations. . . .

Some related thoughts from Michael Graham.

Plus: Gallup: Distrust In Media Hits New High. I wonder why?

Also: The Audacity Of These Dopes.

MORE: Rand Simberg emails: “If this does turn into a blowout for Romney, I think that a significant factor will be people voting against the media hacks who have been propping up The One.” Indeed.