and that bus was a school bus, full of the most treasured "possessions" of parents out there, and they wanted to make sure their cherished children were being well looked after.

Well, suppose I wanted to drive that school bus, and someone said "Let's look into her history and see if there's anything to disqualify her".

If they found out I'd had charges brought against me in the past, oh, let's say dangerous driving, reckless indifference to human life, DUI, etc, even if the charges were overturned, I doubt very much I'd get the job.

Would that looking into my history be considered a "smear campaign" or just old fashioned common sense and due diligence?

I think this whole story is a relevant metaphor to Noront right now.