For the past decade, some futurists have warned that major media outlets are doomed to an imminent death, and will be replaced by citizen journalists, online news sources and blogs. Yet the reliability of the blogosphere is constantly challenged by poor, often malicious reporting by journalism amateurs or provocateurs, many of whom have a personal, political or financial agenda.

Consider the recent case of Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and false reports about consorting with underaged prostitutes in the Dominican Republic. Allegations first came to public attention through postings in The Daily Caller, a political news site with a distinctly conservative viewpoint.

Perhaps most telling about these charges was the fact that they first appeared on November 1, 2012 — just days before Election Day with Menendez on the New Jersey ballot.

After The Daily Caller presented its assertions against Menendez and displayed interviews with two young women alleged to be his illicit consorts, many in the mainstream media picked up the story. Of course, the Senator’s subsequent denials only fueled the media fire, drawing more attention to the alleged scandal.

Now, one of the alleged escorts has admitted that Menendez’s accusers were paid by an attorney to read a script that contained the false charges against the Senator, and the attorney subsequently confessed that he was paid by another colleague to arrange the setup. The identity of the scandal’s mastermind remains a mystery, but it is clear that the entire incident was devised as an ugly political smear.

In the face of these revelations, one would expect an apology from The Daily Caller, which originated the story. Yet its only direct response thus far has been a single line, “TheDC has stood by its reporting.”

Bad journalism is not restricted to the Internet. Yes, there are plenty of examples in the mainstream media of misreporting and false stories. However, reliable journalists and their outlets retract or apologize for their errors, as dictated by their professional code of ethics. They are forced to maintain some semblance of credibility or risk losing their readership and advertisers.

Reliability is one of the most important elements of any news medium in our society. With the emergence of Internet-based outlets, readers should approach much of what they read with a healthy dose of skepticism. As a result, mainstream media maintain an important role as objective presenters of current events, remaining relevant because they follow professional journalism standards.