Rarely does something get my ire up but, the front page article of the USA Today on 2 Feb had that affect. "65,000 US Flights with maintenance problems have taken off anyway". It is sensationalism for the sake of selling papers.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-02-02-1Aairmaintenance02_CV_N.htm

While the reporter may have his facts correct, he fails to analyze them properly. 65,000 flights over a six year period is less than one tenth of one percent of all the flights during that time period. Most statisticians would call that insignificant. I realize that if you happen to be a passenger on that flight, you're probably upset. However, what they don't say is that the professionals flying these airplanes would never knowingly depart with a known problem that would keep the airplane from flying safely. There are more cars on the road with failing brake systems. More people die everyday driving. The airline industry remains the safest form of travel to date.

At a time when the industry is struggling, this type of reporting is irresponsible. Not the facts but, the presentation. Personally, I think the editor should be fired for this but I suppose he got a raise because it sells papers. Just like all the other media, facts aren't presented without spin. The lazy public just takes it all in without actually using their brain to understand what they're reading. But, then again, they don't read so most people didn't see the article. Just a thought.