For the New York Times, that is. Former Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald, author of one of the best investigative books I’ve ever read (Conspiracy of Fools)’ writing for Newsweek, starts out his opinion piece by cutting directly to the point:
What the hell is happening at The New York Times?
Seems like a fair question to me. After recounting the history of the Times’ fixation with the Clintons, Eichenwald takes their latest reporting to task in brutal fashion.
Indeed, if the Times article is based on the same documents I read, then the piece is wrong in all of its implications and in almost every particular related to the inspector generals’ conclusions. These are errors that go far beyond whether there was a criminal referral of Clinton’s emails or a criminal referral at all. Sources can mislead; documents do not.
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In terms of journalism, this is terrible. That the Times article never discloses this is about an after-the-fact review of Clinton’s emails conducted long after she left the State Department is simply inexcusable. That this all comes from a concern about the accidental release of classified information—a fact that goes unmentioned—is even worse. In other words, the Times has twisted and turned in a way that makes this story seem like something it most decidedly is not. This is no Clinton scandal. It is no scandal at all. It is about current bureaucratic processes, probably the biggest snooze-fest in all of journalism.
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our hyper-partisan world, many people will not care about the truth here. That the Times story is false in almost every particular—down to the level of who wrote what memo—will only lead to accusations that people trying to set the record straight are pro-Hillary. I am not pro-Hillary. I am, however, pro-journalism. And this display of incompetence or malice cannot stand without correction.
And to other reporters: Democracy is not a game. It is not a means of getting our names on the front page or setting the world abuzz about our latest scoop. It is about providing information so that an electorate can make decisions based on reality. It is about being fair and being accurate. This despicable Times story was neither.
Go read the rest. Bad journalism doesn’t do justice to what we’re dealing with here. It’s out and out misrepresentation and lying. By the New York Times.
Welcome back to the ’90s, folks. It’s gonna be a long 15 months.
