Reporters need to know stuff - not just the stuff of the immediate story, but the stuff of the world behind the story. It's the stuff sources might not mention, but it's the stuff that drives the story. Take, for example, the real reason behind Barack Obama's loss in West Virginia's primary.

My job is to go to war, if ordered. Your job, the job of a journalist, is to challenge the facts you are given. One of us is not doing their job very well.

This year's White House correspondents dinner was a star-studded glamfest as journalistas-turned-fashionistas nibbled on Tunisian tabil-seared salmon and posed for pics with the prez. Huh? Are these really the people we trust to hold power to account on behalf of the average citizen? Let the venting begin.

Yes, you heard me. Journalists, who should know the meaning of words, have the latest dustup on the campaign trail all wrong. An elite politician is somebody who could - and maybe should - be elected. Political snobs, however, are another matter.

A recent front-page story recently broke the news that civilians in the Pentagon try to influence the military analysts who appear on TV news shows. And if you read deep into the story, you might have found some real news.

Gender can be complicated. For example, how many genders are in the English language? Two? Three? (Actually, four: male, female, neuter and common.) What gender should journalists use when referring to transgender individuals, whose biological and gender identities may not be the same? The answer is actually pretty simple.

An innovative look at America's voters finds them living in Evangelical Epicenters, Tractor Country and Service Workers Center - three of 11 communities tagged by journalist Dante Chinni and professor James Gimpel as emblematic of their greater communities. This is a gimmick that Margolis can get behind.

When news of the death of Bob Greene, Newsday's legendary investigative reporter, reached a poster at Gawker.com, he wrote: "Whenever some old warrior, someone I respect dies, for some reason the old line from a war film comes to mind." Greene helped Newsday win two Pulitzers for Public Service.

"Bare-knuckled brawl"? The Clinton-Obama contest? Really? Get a grip - or at least a memory. Political compaigns have been much nastier in the past - and even then the animosity didn't inflict the lingering damage that columnists are predicting today.

It's 3 in the morning. Somewhere, a phone is ringing in a newsroom. The latest campaign ad is raising all sorts of questions about who is more fit for office. But is the ad grounded in the real world, or only the world of TV ads? When the answer is just a phone call away, why did it take so long for someone to start dialing?