It's only that many stories, because sensationalism sells newspapers, and the majority of Americans are stupid. (There, I said it; the "average" American is just that; average. Which ain't all that bright....)

There are so many different breeds of terriers, and only 1 is technically the American Pit Bull. But anytime any dog attacks, if he happens to have short hair, weigh between 30 and 50 lbs, and have a bull-nosed head side profile, it'll be called a "pit bull" or a "part pit-bull" regardless of whether or not it even has any Pit Bull blood in it. But the "average" American has no earthly idea as to what a Pit Bull even is, let alone be able to know the difference between a Pit and, say, the Stadfordshire Terrier. They aren't the same (as I've learned in the past few years), but when it comes to a police report, they'll be considered the same regardless.