The Times also has a columnist problem

NY Daily News ^ | May 28, 2003 | Zev Chafets

[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.
 

[Right Wing Professor]

ROFL!

But let's be fair. There's still the crossword.

[dirtboy]

Recycle Safire's column and highlight the lie/omission and email the Slimes that Safire lied.

Done.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

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.

That's a great point. I remember Safire's bizzare storytelling about the Homeland Security bill now that you mention it. He deserves no pass because he is a "conservative" supposedly.

[Grampa Dave]

Let me know what the results are. The local editor of our somewhat leftwing fishwrap added Safire as a quote conservative to balance out the scream left wing mediots.

Safire is as much of a conservative as you and I are liberals.

[Southack]

" 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."

Worth repeating.

Also worthy of note: Krugman lied about Bush and Enron, Al Gore lied about environmentalism, and Gray Davis lied about the California Power Crisis...all in NY Times editorials.

Editorials which are permitted to run without countervening views being permitted to be printed alongside them, it can safely be said.

[Grampa Dave]

My wife says that the Slimes makes up words for their crossword puzzles. She loves to do crossword puzzles of all types except for those in the Slimes. She says that they are very creative with their puzzles.

[Poohbah]

Hell, Krugman lied (by omission) about Krugman and Enron.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Below is the email I sent them. I'm sure the humor will be lost on them.

Dear Sirs or Madams:

I came across this several years ago and now that you are trying to clean house I thought I would pass it along.

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

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0195057007/reviews/ref%3Dpm%5Fdp%5Fln%5Fb%5F6/104-0087565-0525555


It seems this fellow made up stories to cover up Stalin's crimes and he earned a Pulitzer for his work for the Times. Maybe history needs to be corrected. The truth, they say, will set you free.

Ernie XXXXXX

[Hildy]

Geez...who would have thought that having The New York Times on your resume would actually HURT your career!

[hchutch]

Looks like we are seeing a pattern, one that got VERY bad under Raines.

[Paul Ross]

I was surprised to go today the Times website, and Dowd's quote of Bush has been sanitized!! It no longer has the elipses. No mention of the correction or 'revised' column is made. They are in the process, evidently, of covering their tracks to protect Dowd.

[Poohbah]

I'm deeply saddened to see this pattern.

[Poohbah]

But, of course, that sanitization now makes Dowd look like a Grade-A idiot.

[hchutch]

And anyone who has the original has the manipulated quote.

The cover-up could do a LOT more damage than just admitting the shenanigans.

[Patriotic Bostonian]

I would give you the woman's version of what her excuse/problem is, but it would take too much time.

[Rummyfan]

Walter Duranty..... they (the Times) have never returned his Pulitzer......

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

that sanitization now makes Dowd look like a Grade-A idiot

Well, she does a competent job of that herself. Seriously, I think this is bad "news" to have this covered up. It gets to the heart of why journalists can't be allowed to lie, if they do, how will we the people get information acurately?

If the Times has changed the way they print out her quote, there needs to be an investigation of this editing act in itself.

[Rummyfan]

I do like their crosswords..... at least there is no editorial content in them!

[Poohbah]

Ahem. Please allow me to revise and extend my remarks.

That sanitization manages to make Dowd look like even MORE of a Grade-A idiot than she already did via her own efforts.

[GeorgeWashington777]

I was kinda of surprised that Hannity last week didn't call Holmes on this also as all the Demorats were saying that Bush said they weren't a problem anymore!

I in fact understood perfectly well what he said, and anyone who understands english should!

He said that half or more than half were dead and or in jail, in any case they are not a problem anymore! Meaning the ones that were dead and or jailed! Pretty simple! But all last week the libs were stating that President Bush said they weren't a problem anymore