"Cheaper gas gets season rolling," trumpets the front page of the November 23 edition of USA Today, in a story that breaks the usual media template on "soaring" or "record" gas prices that the Free Market Project study documented in early November.

USA Today's coverage of dropping gas prices continues on pages 8-9A with "Pump prices dip below $2 in some states; still up from '04," which is complemented by an color-coded county-by-county map of the United States displaying current average gas prices.

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You'll notice most of the counties east of the Rockies have gas below $2.40/gallon, with most of those at or below $2.25/gallon. But New York City, the capital of the Main Stream Media, checks in with the highest gas prices, which, one might venture to guess, could color the perceptions of Manhattanite program directors, anchors, and reporters for the networks.

The nationwide average gas price at time of this posting is $2.18/gallon according to AAA's fuelgaugereport.com. On Monday, November 23, the Energy Department reported an average of $2.20/gallon.