First, a tragic story, a searing piece of video and some remarkable journalism as a train derails horribly in Spain, killing at least 78 people. The Associated Press took the video and went to work. A video producer advanced(提升；加工) it frame by frame. The AP estimated distances between pylons(电缆铁塔), counted railway ties(枕木) and used a time stamp(印时戳) on the video to calculate the train's speed. 

 

One estimate: 89 to 119 miles an hour; using a different technique, 96 to 112. The posted speed limit, 50 miles an hour. In less than two hours, the AP went from video to story, providing vital information. 

 

For instincts, initiative and transparency in reporting, the AP proved itself a reliable source. 

 

But another story gets a thumbs down on coverage: Iraq. The place looks like it's imploding(内爆). Sectarian violence has been escalating with near daily bombings and killings. Syria's civil war may be making things worse. An assault on Abu Ghraib prison sprung more than 200 convicts connected to Al Qaeda in Iraq. But where is the American news media? Most have gone home. The last American news bureau there, CNN's, closed in May. There are still producers, stringers(新闻媒介的兼职或特约记者) and reporters, and they're doing their best, but the big presence and the sustained coverage is a fraction of what it was. 

 

The reason? U.S. troops have gone home and the exorbitant(不合法的；过度的) cost. But this story about Iraqi stability, regional security and America's legacy and, yes, oil, still matters. It won't be easy. Americans are war-weary(厌战的). The coverage needs to be about more than bombs and bullets.