I wish reporters would apply a simple rule to all their reporting of potential scandals. "Is this how a person doing this job does it?" If so, it's not a scandal, it's just someone doing their job, and don't report it as a scandal, or even a potential scandal. (Technically I suppose everything has the potential of being anything. If I make a tuna salad sandwich that is a potential earthquake, somewhere, at some time.)

This is a variant of the rule that says Man Bites Dog is news but the opposite is not.