There wolf!

Remember the days when journalists were taught to get the news into the headline and to front-load the lede for busy readers? Yeah, me too:

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) revealed the identity of the mysterious wolf-like creature that was shot dead in the state last month. Officials confirmed in a news release Monday that DNA results proved the animal was a gray wolf.   

So the evening's No. 3 story at the Fair 'n' Balanced Network boils down to: You know that wolf the guy told wildlife officials he shot last month? IT'S A WOLF!

We do seem to pick on Fox a lot around here, and for obvious reasons, but the lesson applies to everybody who's tempted by another story about Bigfoot, Jimmy Hoffa, Amelia Earhart, D.B. Cooper or the Loch Ness Monster. If you don't fall for it the first time, you won't have to waste the space later knocking it down.