Sadly, as a columnist, MowDown is not held to as high a standard as an actual reporter, so she can stretch the truth as much as she wants (cf. Paul Krugman). She would have to start writing whoppers so over the top that they made the entire NY-DC media elite axis drop their jaws in awe ("Bush in secret plans to nuke Chicago for political gain", for example) before she'd ever lose her job.
They would call it "freedom of speech" and give her a raise IMHO.