General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: So, if I understand some people correctly -- if Bush detained Mr. Pitt's family that's be OK. [View all]Babel_17
(5,400 posts)Arguably, Greenwald owes it to Poitras to not characterize what gets exchanged between them. It's their mutual journalistic business.
Greenwald is of course free to point out an objective inaccuracy in The New York Times story. Proper editing by them should have caught it, if Greenwald is to be believed.
If I was getting a letter from a woman and The New York Times said I "admitted" she wrote about a torrid affair I was having with her I'd feel free to say I never talked to them about the contents of the letter, if that was the case.
I wouldn't feel free to discuss the contents of the letter. Maybe it is a love letter, maybe we're discussing some used books I sold her.
The argument that I owe anyone an explanation hasn't been made. In Greenwald's case, as a journalist he owes it to his profession, and Poitras, to not babble about his business just because people are curious. Hopefully that point doesn't get missed by people reporting on this story.