Denver has never seen a more beautiful mess of newspapers, TV stations, radio, YouTube, cell phone cameras, Web sites, twitters, blogs, vlogs, fliers, news e-alerts, and everything else vaguely journalistic.

And on top of this, the political ads are unrelenting.

It makes me long for the simplicity of talk radio. But, how boring? And visually bankrupt besides.

So what does it all mean?

It means we need serious help sorting out what’s true and what isn’t. That’s what journalism is supposed to be about, to illuminate the truth, and journalists need to figure out how to do it better and with clarity.

So in the sea of media, I’ve been appreciating the Rocky Mountain News’ Truth Patrol.

Reporters Laura Frank and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon evaluate claims that are swirling around out there, and tell us whether they are “just wrong,” “shaky” or “rock solid.”

They write their verdict in a few short paragraphs, set beneath a graphic that looks like a gauge with an arrow pointing to one side or the other. The feature is in the Rocky’s print edition with an expanded version as a “DNC blog” on its Web site. (Both dailies run similar articles fact-checking the content of political advertisements, but the presentation of the Truth Patrol is more engaging.)

Frank and McCrimmon cover everything from whether Denver police are carrying automatic weapons (just wrong) to whether it’s true that John McCain doesn’t know how many houses he owns (rock solid). They throw in stupid stuff like “Denver is a Cow Town” (shaky).

This fact-checking contrasts to a typical news story, where one opinion or quote is often pitted against another one, and (unfortunately) journalists usually don’t report which view is factually wrong — even if this can be determined.

The media frenzy this week proves that the worth of “she said, he said” journalism is fading. People need fewer stories with countervailing quotes from partisans stacked on top of each other.

With so much information flying around, reporters should build the credibility of their brands, like the Rocky, by explaining what’s true.

So, if I were in charge of the Truth Patrol, I’d avoid writing about what’s “shaky,” since that perpetuates the information muddle, and focus instead on what’s “rock solid” or “just wrong.”

They should come down on one side or the other, even if it’s against the journalistic instinct of balance.

Which is not to say that illuminating nuances is bad. As Frank told me, “We’re not tackling an entire issue where there are shades of gray. We’re taking one comment, one fact, and getting to the bottom of it.”

“Journalism is in a stage of great change,” says Frank. “What people will continue to want is some assistance in wading through all the information of the information age. People want to know what’s true and what’s false, and they want some help doing that, and that’s what we can do.”

The Truth Patrol accepts questions from readers, but Frank told me that she hasn’t been receiving many. So, there’s an opening for you, if you’re confused by something you think you may have heard somewhere, somehow, in the media onslaught.

From the left. With the protests fizzling, perhaps the most levelheaded leftist critique of the convention is coming from KGNU (1390 AM), a local community radio station. On Tuesday, Democracy Now, hosted by Amy Goodman, illuminated the similarities among the fundraising programs of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. KGNU is airing live convention coverage, each evening.

Jason Salzman, president of Effect Communications, is the author of Making the News: A Guide for Activists and Nonprofits. Reach him at salzmanj@RockyMountainNews.com.