Part of the problem is that it is easier to blather away than to investigate and report the truth. A fine example of this happened a few years back when a commercial aircraft skidded off the runway while landing and crushed a small private plane that was tied down in a parking area. The reporter was careful to point out that the small plane had not filed a flight plan, trying to imply that it was somehow acting illegally and was at fault. They never gave a thought to the fact that you only need to file a flight plan if you are going flying and, even then, only if you are going to another airport.
