Jay Rosen argues for evidence based journalism, against accusation led reporting: 
"If you are evidence-based you lead with the lack of evidence for explosive or insidious charges. That becomes the news. If you are accusation-driven, the news is that certain people are making charges. With the details we may learn that there's no evidence, but the frame in which that discovery is made remains "he said, she said." (See my 2009 post about that.) "
https://storify.com/jayrosen_nyu/evidence-based-vs-accusation-driven-reporting?utm_source=API+Need+to+Know+newsletter&utm_campaign=c681c44bba-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_11_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e3bf78af04-c681c44bba-31701933

Political journalism changed in 2016

CNN reporting: The traditional model of "he said, she said" journalism, in which news reports simply put both sides of a story against one another, was thrown out the window in favor of a more aggressive journalism that sought to prioritize accuracy over balance.To many journalists, political scientists and media experts, this was a welcome change: It unburdened the American press from false equivalency and made them more responsible stewards of information. To critics, especially on the right side of the political spectrum, the whole endeavor laid bare the innate biases of a coastal, liberal news media.