NYT public editor slams her own newspaper for posting fake pictures [View all]

[Otelo]

The Obama administration told a NYT reporter something to the effect that, 'Here, these pictures show Russian military stirring up trouble in Ukraine.'

The photographs were fake.

Now the newspaper that believed "Curveball" suffers another setback as its credibility sinks lower and lower. At least they have a good public editor. Two paragraphs for you:

"It all feels rather familiar – the rushed publication of something exciting, often based on an executive branch leak. And then, afterward, with a kind of “morning after” feeling, here comes a more sober, less prominently displayed followup story, to deal with objections while not clarifying much of anything."

...


"Here’s my take: The Times’s coverage of this crisis has had much to commend it, especially the quality of the on-the-ground reporting. But this article, with its reliance on an administration leak, was displayed too prominently and questioned too lightly. The Times’s influence demands that it be cautious, especially when deciding to publish what amounts to a government handout."

http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/aftermath-of-ukraine-photo-story-shows-need-for-more-caution/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=thepubliceditor&_r=0