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The Times also has a columnist problem
NY Daily News ^ | May 28, 2003 | Zev Chafets

Posted on 05/28/2003 9:24:40 AM PDT by RippleFire

In the town where I live, you can turn in a criminal by calling (800) 898-TIPS. The New York Times now offers a similar service to its readers. They can finger crooked stories by sending an E-mail to The Times at retrace@nytimes.com.

Jayson Blair is the proximate cause of this humiliating hotline. But some of the TIPS coming into The Times aren't about Blair.

Nobody knows exactly who's under investigation. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Rick Bragg was suspended last week for letting an uncredited intern do his reporting. He's quitting.

And at least one other internal review is taking place. It concerns Pulitzer Prize columnist Maureen Dowd.

I'm not a certified Timesologist, but I can't say I'm shocked by what's happening at the Newspaper of Record. I've been expecting a blowup since August, when The Times ran a front-page story misrepresenting Henry Kissinger's views on war with Iraq. A newspaper willing to lie so boldly in pursuit of its editorial agenda is a newspaper out of control.

In fact, after the Kissinger incident, I stopped reading The Times' news section. But because I'm in the column-writing business, I continued looking at the editorial and op-ed pages. It was there, this month, that I came across an article by Dowd titled "Osama's Offspring."

Dowd famously dislikes President Bush. She often calls him names and says mean things about him. This time, she accused him of flimflamming the country. Two bombs had just gone off in Saudi Arabia and Morocco, presumably detonated by Al Qaeda. According to Dowd, this gave the lie to the President's assertion, delivered in a speech in Little Rock, Ark., that Al Qaeda was "spent."

Here's what she wrote:

"'Al Qaeda is on the run,' President Bush said last week. 'That group of terrorists who attacked our country is slowly but surely being decimated ... they're not a problem anymore.'"

Here's what Bush actually said:

"Al Qaeda is on the run. That group of terrorists who attacked our country is slowly but surely being decimated. Right now, about half of all the top Al Qaeda operatives are either jailed or dead. In either case, they're not a problem anymore."

The words in italics were replaced in Dowd's column by three little dots. Those dots say to the reader: Trust me, I'm abbreviating here, but what I'm leaving out doesn't change the meaning.

But the dots did change the meaning. In fact, they turned it upside down.

Far from declaring Al Qaeda "spent," Bush was warning the country against complacency. The only terrorists the President declared "no longer a problem" were the ones already jailed or dead.

New York Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis says the paper is "looking into" the column.

If Dowd intentionally misrepresented the President's words, she is guilty of a journalistic offense much worse than Bragg's intern problem, or even Blair's fantasies.

Blair is a kid, after all, who made things up for fun and profit. Dowd is a major figure at The Times, a role model. A syndicated role model.

Other journalists, including Andrew Sullivan and Greg Pierce of The Washington Times, have noted Dowd's dot trick.

But as far as I know, I'm the first to turn her in to the TIPS hotline.

If The Times finds her guilty, it can send my reward money to the Home for Wayward Columnists.

And it should send Dowd there, too.
 


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: dowd; freepingtime; jaysonblair; madwoman; nytimes
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Help out the Times in its hour of need! Turn in a crooked reporter or columnist! Let 'em know at retrace@nytimes.com
1 posted on 05/28/2003 9:24:40 AM PDT by RippleFire
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To: RippleFire
Heck, they should look into Safire as well. He made a complete misrepresentation in a column last year that the Homeland Security Act would have authorized TIA, when that program wasn't even mentioned in the bill.
2 posted on 05/28/2003 9:27:05 AM PDT by dirtboy (someone kidnapped dirtboy and replaced him with an exact replica)
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To: RippleFire
If they take out every misrepresentation on the Times op-ed page, they may as well run cartoons instead, because there will be nothing left.
3 posted on 05/28/2003 9:33:08 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor
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To: RippleFire
The Times prints lies. I thought everyone knew that.
4 posted on 05/28/2003 9:33:37 AM PDT by The Hon. Galahad Threepwood
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To: RippleFire
Oh, she's a "role model" alrighty!

The role, however, seems to be one in a Saturday Night Live skit, wherein a bunch of Canadian druggies attempt to lampoon a U.S. President.
Funny, if you're drunk or stoned enough.

SNL's excuse, of course, is excessive use of cannabis: What is Maureen's?
5 posted on 05/28/2003 9:33:44 AM PDT by Redbob
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To: RippleFire
The misquote was repeated on several network and cable news stations ....
6 posted on 05/28/2003 9:35:26 AM PDT by cinFLA
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To: RippleFire
The SacBEE hired last week a minority reporter from the NYT as their new ombudsman.
7 posted on 05/28/2003 9:36:45 AM PDT by cinFLA
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To: RippleFire
The Times also has a columnist problem

I thought it said "The Times also has a communist problem" and couldn't figure out why you posted the obvious. lol

8 posted on 05/28/2003 9:36:52 AM PDT by zip
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Does anyone remember the Pulitzer winner for the times that won his award for lying about the USSR's purges and atrocities? That might be a good tip for the tipline.
9 posted on 05/28/2003 9:39:09 AM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (Soccer Mom's flee the Rats for Bush in his flight suit: I call this the Moisture Factor. MF high!)
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To: RippleFire
PULITZER's NY Times Reporter =

PULITZER's AP -NO GUN RI- Lie

'Associated Press must return it's bogus -NO GUN RI- PULITZER'

http://www.TheAlamoFILM.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=509
10 posted on 05/28/2003 9:42:15 AM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE (Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 www.LZXRAY.com..)
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To: RippleFire
Let's not forget Fox Butterfield (busted for libel) and Nicholas Kristof(another gun grabbing liar).
11 posted on 05/28/2003 9:44:14 AM PDT by Dan from Michigan ("It's the same ole story, same ole song and dance, my friend")
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To: Redbob
"SNL's excuse, of course, is excessive use of cannabis: What is Maureen's?"

Excessive doses of liberalism
12 posted on 05/28/2003 9:47:34 AM PDT by Godzilla (Why be politically correct when you could be right.)
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To: big ern
Walter Duranty. Here's a link to an amazon page for

Stalin's Apologist: Walter Duranty: The New York Times Man in Moscow

13 posted on 05/28/2003 9:48:04 AM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: texasbluebell
Thanks.
14 posted on 05/28/2003 9:50:22 AM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (Soccer Mom's flee the Rats for Bush in his flight suit: I call this the Moisture Factor. MF high!)
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To: big ern
You bet!
15 posted on 05/28/2003 9:58:18 AM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: The Hon. Galahad Threepwood
Well, there are lies, misrepresentations, prevarications, mendacities, white lies, sugar coated lies, spouse lies, sex lies and then there is propaganda & plagiarism!

New York Slimes

16 posted on 05/28/2003 10:02:57 AM PDT by Seeking the truth (I'm going on the FRN Cruise - How about you? - Details at www.Freerepublic.net)
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To: dirtboy
Recycle Safire's column and highlight the lie/omission and email the Slimes that Safire lied.
17 posted on 05/28/2003 10:47:02 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (Time to visit this website and join up: http://www.georgewbush.com/)
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To: Right Wing Professor
When all of the lies from the Liars are removed from the NY Slimes. This is what the NY Slimes will look like.


18 posted on 05/28/2003 10:51:01 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (Time to visit this website and join up: http://www.georgewbush.com/)
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To: Right Wing Professor
"If they take out every misrepresentation on the Times op-ed page, they may as well run cartoons instead, because there will be nothing left."

They already ARE cartoons, particularly Krugman and Dowd. The cartoon format just happens to be textual....

19 posted on 05/28/2003 10:51:59 AM PDT by MainFrame65
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To: RippleFire
But as far as I know, I'm the first to turn her in to the TIPS hotline.

ZING! This was printed in another New York paper! This author is my hero. Go get 'er!

20 posted on 05/28/2003 10:55:20 AM PDT by PeoplesRep_of_LA (Press Secret; Of 2 million Shiite pilgrims, only 3000 chanted anti Americanisms--source-Islamonline!)
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