The press is really filled with idiots. The New York Times publishes a story accusing a presidential candidate of diddling a lobbyist without any definitive proof and they are surprised at the reaction?
We knew some readers would disagree with our decision to publish this information. After all, we wrestled with our own doubts on that score. We anticipated that it would provoke at least a brief media firestorm — and that our efforts to put Mr. McCain’s relationship with a lobbyist in a bigger context would probably get lost in the retelling.
Personally, I was surprised by the volume of the reaction (including more than 2,400 reader comments posted on our Web site). I was surprised by how lopsided the opinion was against our decision, with readers who described themselves as independents and Democrats joining Republicans in defending Mr. McCain from what they saw as a cheap shot.
It’s not so much a cheap shot as it is bad reporting. Get more sources, talk to the lobbyist’s friends, college roommates, anyone she may have confided in. Do your homework. Don’t accuse a man of having an affair based on the off the record recollections of disgruntled former staffers. That is below that standard the Times normally sets for itself.
