The story of the Oklahoma University student who blew himself up illustrates a contrast of two extremes in what I'll refer to collectively as "reporting" for lack of a better term.

At one extreme, there's the Knight Ridder school of not reporting the story at all. Not even the basic, known, facts. At the other extreme, there's the rumor-mongering and conspiracy theorizing by WorldNetDaily, NEIN, and assorted freelance conspiracists.

Usually, mainstream journalism avoids the latter approach. This is supposed to be a matter of principle as well as practice. The rumor-mongering which characterized the New Orleans reporting, however, is a sharp departure, and although it has been severely criticized (even by the journalists who did it), there's nonetheless a disturbing trend towards self congratulation. For rumor-mongering!

There seem to be no rules. At least, if there are, I cannot discern them. Why did New Orleans qualify for what I called "rumor laundering" (something more appropriate for WorldNetDaily), and yet the case of Joel Hinrichs does not? Is it because there were more victims and it was therefore a bigger story? Was it because MSM journalists reporting Katrina tried to imitate the blogosphere by engaging in a failed attempt wolf pack behavior? I can't say, but the inconsistency bothers me.

As a blogger, I have absolutely no problem in examining any and all sources obtainable, including MSM reports, conspiracy theories, or outright rumors -- and freely discussing, debating, and debunking whatever it might be from whatever the source. I guess that's the standard blogosphere approach. Apparently, it will not do for those who deem it their job to lead people -- whether out of a belief that they possess superior knowledge, or out of a belief in the justice and rightness of their cause.

Right now, the bottom line with the Oklahoma University student who blew himself up is that he blew himself up. In front of a stadium. As to why, nothing is yet known, but the simple fact that it happened is not being reported -- not in my town.

Why do I suspect that if someone had blown himself up in New Orleans, Louisiana instead of Norman, Oklahoma, the story would have been treated differently?

MORE: According to this report at Oklahoma's NewsOK.com (from Texas Rainmaker via Glenn Reynolds), Hinrichs attended a mosque. Regardless of whether that mosque is the same mosque as the one attended by Zacarias Moussaoui (as alleged in the video), the simple fact of his mosque attendance alone indicates that Hinrichs is probably a convert to Isam, and it would be highly relevant in evaluating his state of mind. Not only that, the report states that his roommate was a Pakistani.

I hate to sound accusatory, but I'm beginning to suspect that there are ulterior motives behind Knight-Ridder non-reporting. And they're not pleasant to contemplate.

MORE: Also via Glenn's link, Michelle Malkin reports that the national media is "still AWOL."

(As I said earlier, if your goal is suicide, ammonium nitrate is overkill.)

MORE: Speaking of "national media," is Drudge also AWOL?

UPDATE: This Tulsaworld.com story would seem to provide independent confirmation that Hinrichs' roommate was Pakistani:

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- The Pakistani roommate of a man authorities say died when he detonated an explosive device outside a crowded football stadium was led in handcuffs from a party shortly after Saturday's explosion, the head of an Islamic student group said.

Fazal M. Cheema, a finance major, shared a university-owned apartment with Joel Hinrichs III, 21, who died Saturday when a device attached to his body exploded as he sat on a bench outside George Lynn Cross Hall.

Cheema and three other Muslim students were led in handcuffs from a party by police after the blast, Ashraf Hussein, president of the Muslim Student Association, said Tuesday. They later were released.

Cheema is "a really, really nice guy," Hussein said.

OU President David Boren said authorities continue to believe that Hinrichs did not try to get into the stadium and that he acted alone. He said Hinrichs' roommate, along with his acquaintances, were questioned by federal authorities.

"All the people who lived in that building, all the people that lived in the building surrounding it, all the people who knew him well or were living in proximity to him ... have been questioned; none of those people have been held by law enforcement," Boren said.

The FBI said in a statement Tuesday that there is no current threat posed by additional explosive materials, that there is no known threat from anyone else related to the incident and that there is no known link between Hinrichs and any terrorist or extremist organization or activities.

Hinrichs' father, Joel Hinrichs Jr., said the FBI re-interviewed him Tuesday at his home in Colorado Springs, Colo. The father told investigators his son was skeptical of ideology.

"Joe would have become a Muslim fanatic when pigs fly," the father side. (Emphasis added.)

UPDATE: Bill Hobbs asks why the MSM is ignoring the story, and Gateway Pundit is continually following the story and updating links. So is Mark Tapscott, who continues to ask the questions that used to be asked in the days of real journalism.

UPDATE: According to Explicitly Ambiguous, Hinrichs tried to enter the stadium -- TWICE:

KWTV (Channel 9) News just reported that Hinrichs did have a ticket to the game and attempted to get into the stadium at two different entrances. He was refused at each entrance because he refused to let them search his backpack. Hopefully they’ll have something up on their website later.

Here’s a quote by the student interviewed in the report at 6. This was on their website earlier today:

One OU senior, Adam Smith, of Oklahoma City, however, said a stadium guard Saturday night told him “a guy had sprinted off” outside Gate 6 after refusing to let his backpack be searched.

Link

The report also said that 5 others were “involved”. They didn’t know if they were involved with the bombing or involved with removing things from the apartment.

(For God's sake, with a system like this, if the country came under enemy attack, the only people who'd know it would be bloggers!)

MORE: The video interview of Hinrichs' father -- with the "when pigs fly" remark -- can be streamed here. If that doesn't work, it's also listed at KFOR's web site.

UPDATE: More recent information here.