This. Now.

Shorter version: “Should The NY Times Actually Practice Journalism?”

From the Public Editors Journal at the NY Times.

I’m looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about

It’s like a chef in a restaurant asking “Should I cook and prepare food, or just toss some Lean Cuisines someone left in the fridge onto a plate?”

As an Op-Ed columnist, Mr. Krugman clearly has the freedom to call out what he thinks is a lie. My question for readers is: should news reporters do the same?

If so, then perhaps the next time Mr. Romney says the president has a habit of apologizing for his country, the reporter should insert a paragraph saying, more or less:

“The president has never used the word ‘apologize’ in a speech about U.S. policy or history. Any assertion that he has apologized for U.S. actions rests on a misleading interpretation of the president’s words.”

Yes. That is EXACTLY what the “reporter” should do.

Is it possible to be objective and fair when the reporter is choosing to correct one fact over another?

That’s the funny thing about facts. They are, by definition, TRUE. You don’t HAVE to choose one correct fact over another. JUST PICK WHAT’S TRUE.

Read the whole thing, It’s amazingly depressing.