We have all heard what the media has been printing about the real estate market.  All doom and gloom, right? 

Here is an exagerated excerpt from a news story depicting a "devastating, horrendous injury" (courtesy of the Lehigh Valley Horse Council):

Just before the presidential innaugural parade was set to begin in the nation's capital, alarming news came over The Humane Society of the United States' radio:  "Horse hit by truck at 4th and Pennsylvania."

When the emergency report of an injured horse was sounded, equine ambulances rushed to the aid of Mouse, a 10-year-old Appaloosa horse who had suffered a visibly mangled leg and multiple lacerations. 

When responders arrived on site, they found a bloody scene:  Mouse was lying on the ground with his hindquarters suspended in the air and his rear leg caught in the front grill of a heavy-duty truck. 

Incredibly, the vet was able to stabilize the horse before he was loaded onto the ambulance and transported to the Prince George's County Equestrian Center. 

"When the HSUS first came upon the scene, things were looking dire for Mouse.  I did not think he would survive," said the senior director of Emergency Services at the HSUS.  "Twelve men and women labored for nearly 2 hours to untangle Mouse's leg so that he could be transported for further treatment.  It is an immense relief to know that this horse is expected to recover from his life-threatening injuries."

Now, here is the truth to the story:

According to the horse's rider, the extrication took 30 minutes or less.

A small pool of blood was on the ground.

The on-site vet's initial evaluation of the horse's injury was alarming but unfounded.

The horse was sedated, bandaged and he walked onto the trailer.

He was taken to his own vet, about 70 miles away.

Except for a few stitches, he is fine.

This is a TRUE story.  How many discrepencies can you find?  You decide for yourself about the reporting of the media.  The evidence is right in front of you.