Reason and Radical

Bush's Bulge

The story that won't die, but was killed by the New York Times: that weird bulge in Bush's back during the debates.

Salon did cover the story.

The Times ombudsman, Daniel Okrent, admits that the Times killed the story because it was close to the election and might affect the outcome.

But as David Neiwart notes

The truth of the matter is that killing a story that could affect the outcome of the election simply because it could affect the outcome of the election is an abandonment of one's duties as a journalist dedicated to publishing the truth and adequately informing the public. It would be one thing if the evidence was indeed speculative; but the evidence presented by Nelson and the Times' other sources, in fact, was well past speculation. It was, in fact, highly substantive. There's no other way of putting it: This is a gross dereliction of its Fourth Estate role as a public watchdog by the Times.

posted by Leimodnu @ 3:59 PM