That's right but you have to wade through the info for some time...

That's right but you have to wade through the info for some time often only to get a general handle on sentiment.
A couple of points to remember
company announcements-
the company mostly has a positive bias.
You will always find out after the fact.
Nothing beats reaserching over the long run-
You will make mistakes
If a stock goes down 50% it needs to go up 100% just to get your money back
Spread your risk
Somtimes a small stake helps to focus your research

I like the xped story it's around 5% of my holdings if it doesn't work out so be it.