Well how else do you expect them to get information about what's going on? At least journalists are professionally aware of how to filter such information.
It makes perfect sense, they are the true journalists according to their own definition, so they don't just report facts, but they use "editorial process". /s
At least in theory, while the journalist isn't a subject matter expert, they have spent time reporting on the same domain. They know the people who are experts, and work under an editor who has worked in that field for decades. They should be able to validate any facts and be able to put them into context.
As newspapers have gotten hammered there are fewer and fewer people who actually do that, and more and more bloggers with loud opinions and few facts. Many good sources have gone defunct or given up trying. But there do remain a few sources of decent journalism, where the reporters and editor really are better informed than most laymen.
I think you misunderstand what journalists do. Journalists are not supposed to be experts in the subjects they cover. They are not telling you the story based on their personal knowledge or beliefs — those are opinion pieces.
Journalists are expected to source information from experts and from people who are in positions to know, and to attribute the information they publish to their sources.
I am not saying that every journalist or publication does a good job of seeking the truth. Only that the job of a reporter does not require being an expert at anything other than - hopefully - information gathering and reporting.
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