LHC is the World's largest machine, cost €7.5 billion to build, and uses 1.3 TWh of electricity a year, which is twice as much as the country of Rwanda uses. I don't think it would be unrealistic, hyperbolic, or misleading for a reporter to question the immense use of public funds to build and operate a spectacular device which has not created any spectacular results. That is a spectacular amount of money, and that is a ridiculous amount of electricity which is not being created by magic. Science writers wouldn't make many friends among physicists if they took that tack though.