[Congressman Billybob]

"Ombudsman" began as a governmental official (somewhere in Scandinavia) who had the power to search out and report on wrongs in the government. It has come to mean a person appointed in any large organization to examine and report on its failures. That's why the Times refers to these poor b*stards as "public editor."

The sad fact is that the public editors at the Times either do their jobs well, and have to be eased out, or they do their jobs poorly, and become an embarrassment. It is a classic situation that is no-win for whomever holds it.

John / Billybob

[kitkat]

John, thanks for your present-day explanation of “ombudsman” especially as it applies to the NYT. You’ve taught me something I couldn’t find anywhere else, and it makes the article more understandable.