6.17.2003
Raines check
[Posted 3:21 PM by Stefan Beck]
All that rage and despair caused by the scandalized Times–could it have been that we were all just jealous? So writes The Nation’s intolerable Eric Alterman in his latest column, “When It Raines�”
“And here we reach the heart of the conservative complaint about the Times: not the crusaders in its editorial pages or even the alleged advocacy of its news pages but its genuine editorial independence.”
Editorial independence? From what, the Bilderberg Group? No matter. Alterman is worried about the �extremist forces ensconced in the White House��. His J’accuse is trained on all the major media players, listed in his unpronounceable acronym CBSNBCABCAOLCNNMSNBCFOX.
CBS must be especially jealous. CBS News, criticized by the NYT for misusing the story of Jessica Lynch, lashed out. (Thank you, Andrew.)
�Unlike the New York Times’ own ethical problems, there is no question about the accuracy or integrity of CBS News’ reporting. CBS News does not pay for interviews and it maintains a well-established separation from other parts of Viacom. � The letters selectively quoted by the Times, when read in their entirety, make that explicitly clear.�
But who can fault CBS News for being so angry? After all, it�s tough to compete with the NYT�s editorial independence�from the facts, that is.