Speculation began early this morning when paramedics were called to Tiger Woods' central Florida home.

A woman was wheeled away and transported to the emergency room at a local hospital, the same hospital the golfing great was taken after he crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and tree late last month.

Since then, rumors have swirled of Woods' alleged affairs and his troubled marriage.

So, why are we covering this?  Isn't this entertainment news?  The stuff of tmz.com, People magazine, Entertainment Tonight? 

Yes and no.

We ask ourselves the following questions about each and every story you see on our air:  Is it new?  Is it relevant?  Is it compelling?  Does the public have the right to know?

When the Woods' story first broke, the answer to all those questions was "yes."

Woods is a public figure, a world-class athlete, afterall.  We covered it today because of the new development involving Woods' mother-in-law.

But our policy is this:  we don't expend our staff to cover entertainment news, however, we will give it a mention if it fits our news criteria.

As this story progressed, rumor was elevated to fact.  The story turned salacious.  Gossip swirled, and fact was blurred with fiction.  Even reputable news networks began sourcing outlets like the National Enquirer.

You might ask, how is this different than reporting on the alleged affair involving South Carolina's governor Mark Sanford?

In Sanford's case, he is an elected public official.  Questions abound over his possible use of state money to fly to Argentina to see his alleged mistress.  And there is concern that his state was left vulnerable when he was out of the country.  We would continue to cover this story because, we believe, elected officials are held to higher standards than entertainment or sports figures.

As for Tiger Woods, we will cover the story as it unfolds, but only when it develops as new, compelling, relevant, and with a public right to know.

Again, our goal is to bring transparency to what we do, letting you in on how we cover the news.

If you've ever wondered about something we showed on THV, email me at thvinsider@todaysthv.com, and I will respond to your questions, comments, complaints, and compliments.