The N&O has pushed hard on the police investigation involving Duke's lacrosse team.

So have other area newspapers and TV stations, which makes sense.

So have just about every major newspaper and television network, which makes less sense.

We broke the story March 24 that 46 lacrosse players had provided material for DNA testing following a woman's report to police that she was raped at a team party.

The story has national importance, given Duke's stature and the impact of the scandal.

But why, beyond sensationalism, would headlines on the case's lurid details play on TV screens and newspapers for days all over the country?

Part of the answer lies in how news media operate these days, outlined by a nonprofit called The Project for Excellence in Journalism.

The first major trend cited in the project's 2006 State of the Media report:

"The new paradox of journalism is more outlets covering fewer stories."

Why? There's the 24-hour news phenomenon, of course -- cable channels repeating stories to fill air time. But the report also noted that news outlets are multiplying while the number of journalists is not.

"Thus we tend to see more accounts of the same handful of stories each day," the authors wrote. "And when big stories break, they are often covered in a similar fashion by general-assignment reporters working with a limited list of sources and a tight time-frame."

With crowds of journalists and paparazzi gathering, the report said, authorities quickly shut down interviews or turn to press briefings. You can't achieve any depth of reporting at a press briefing.

We've seen this here already. District Attorney Mike Nifong, the only person who can explain his office's decisions on the case, cut off interviews early last week, blaming an overload of requests.

That's not just a problem for reporters. It's keeping information away from people who live in this community.

Fortunately, Duke and Durham aren't territory that can be cordoned off. Some faculty, students and community members have spoken for themselves.

Journalism's purpose is to inform communities about important issues. The Duke story matters here, to Durham and the greater Triangle.

It also matters to Duke's alumni nationally and others concerned about college behavior, race and class.

The national coverage so far, however, seems superficial and focused on the case's seamy aspects.

Reporting on the story might even improve if the national TV trucks packed up and left and the throngs dissipated.

No knock on my colleagues, but there has to be some other news out there worth covering.