This article from Public Editor Arthur Brisbane is the gift that keeps on giving. That he (or apparently the Times) don’t see that it demonstrates that the NYT (and their other friends in the MSM who just haven’t had the balls to write this stuff down and post it for all to see) has officially won Journalism’s Race to the Bottom Award. That in the year 2012 the nation’s Paper of Record decides to pose a question to its readers about what they think the role of the NYT is, when, you know, reporting the news, is telling indeed.
This opening line is the money quote:
I’m looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about.
Hahahahaha!
No Arthur, the “reporters” should just be stenographers and write down and publish whatever bullshit a politician says. Because that’s why we have journalism schools and a discipline known as journalistic ethics.
Naturally, as soon as he posted this open question to readers on the NYT website, Twitter and the blogosphere practically crashed under the weight of the bandwidth required when users [rightfully] offered up derision, laughter and mockery in the direction of the NYT.
What’s even more ironic about all of this is that just the other day Arthur Brisbane had to issue a correction for the NYT relating to its shoddy reporting on Iran’s alleged nukes. Is it any wonder we ended up in Iraq, fighting a war based on lies, only to now have the media cheer-leading for the next misadventure in Iran, followed by a NYT article asking if the NYT should engage in fact-based reporting?
It would be funny were it not so deadly serious.
US FoPo & the Middle East 
January 12, 2012 at 4:03 pm
That is hilarious – as are your comments!
Great to hear your “voice” again, stacy