There is a subtlety to this that I hope is noted: The point is not that the reporter must report whether or not it is raining, nor that the reporter cannot avoid the question of whether or not it is raining by reporting that one side says it is and the other says it is not.
The point is that the reporter must report what both sides have said AND report whether or not it is raining.
That way, we don't just know the truth. We also know who we can trust, and who we can't.