If you’ve ever watched a Chuck Lorre produced show (Grace Under Fire, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory) you may have noted the text cards at the end of the credits sequence. They flash by so quickly it’s impossible to read them, but fortunately they’re all archived online.

At the conclusion of this evening’s Two and a Half Men rerun they displayed vanity card #135 and we paused the TV to read it. What fortuitous timing, given all our recent carping here at S&R about the decline of the press. Here’s what it said:

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #135 I was recently interviewed by a tabloid reporter who was writing a story based on information he was given by “informed sources”. He told me that he knew the information was false. When I asked why he’d bother to continue with the story, he said, “Well, I have informed sources.” I said, “Yes, but you know that those informed sources are, at best, misinformed, or, at worst, lying.” To which he replied, “That’s why your comments are good for the story. They give it balance.” Need I say more?

There you go. Who says you can’t learn valuable life lessons from sitcoms?