The news media on Wednesday was abuzz with opinions about whether U.S. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney spray tans before major speeches and television appearances — a theory advanced by one small news organization. BuzzFeed reported today that an unidentified source said Romney pays to have a spray tanning professional spray him in hotel rooms before major appearances, which the Romney campaign denies.

They say his tan is a natural sun tan. This week, for example, before Tuesday’s presidential debate in Florida Romney participated in a touch-football game on the beach with members of the press.

Either way, there’s no denying that Romney — like most people — looks better on TV with a tan. “It’s interesting that so many people seem to be interested in this,” Smart Tan Executive Director Joseph Levy said. “There’s nothing wrong with Mr. Romney wanting to look and feel better about his appearance.”

Washington Post blogger Erik Wemple writes:

Evidence in favor of spray-tan allegations:

• One “knowledgeable source.”
• Mass conjecture on social media.
• Speculation by spray-tanning experts.

Evidence against spray-tanning allegations:

• Airtight denial from Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul.
• Denial from a makeup artist who worked on Romney prior to an appearance on Univision in September at which he looked particularly rusty: When he walked in, I remember thinking, ‘Wow this is tanner than I thought he was,’ but I think he’s just been outside a lot lately for his campaign,” Lazz Rodriguez told Univision afterward. “It was definitely a real tan.”

For the purposes of journalistic accounting, that’s one anonymous source for a spray-tanning Romney vs. two on-the-record sources against a spray-tanning Romney. To the credit of BuzzFeed, all the evidence-to-the-contrary gets presented to the reader within the story’s four corners. To the discredit of BuzzFeed, it published the story in the face of that evidence.

ABC News ran a story that “Mitt Romney’s Tan Draws Media Fire” in September, quoting the make-up artist who denied that Romney was spray tanned. The Huffington Post on Wednesday printed a story wondering why people are interested in this topic. Click here to read that story.