Or how David Halberstam selfishly described his reaction to seeing a Buddhist monk burn in Vietnam: "I was too shocked to cry, too confused to take notes or ask questions, too bewildered to even think.... As he burned he never moved a muscle, never uttered a sound, his outward composure in sharp contrast to the wailing people around him."

What an amateur. No wonder he only won one Pulitzer.

Ah, yes – holding journalism to the same standard as works of semi-fiction is indeed called for these days. An excellent comparison on your part.

Other people, however, may hold journalism to higher standards than those of infotainment that falls terribly short of the "info" part of the portmanteau.