How "facts" are manufactured

Two days ago, I wrote about an alleged massacre in Syria. As noted then, the proof behind these allegations was thin indeed, and it was at least clear to a discerning reader that these were claims, not necessarily facts.

By today, however, such distinctions are gone, as the same AP writes simply:

Bashar Assad's regime would appear to be setting itself on a collision course: It let in outside observers for the first time Thursday to monitor his commitment to halting the crackdown on dissent, even as his security forces unleashed a fiercer onslaught this week, killing more than 200 in two days.

No ifs, ands, or buts, no claims, simply "facts," as pushed into the Western consciousness by the always-cooperative media, ready to promote the next "humanitarian" intervention.