January 12, 2012 by David K. Sutton

The New York Times: Newspaper Of Record?

If The New York Times wants to continue to be “All the News That’s Fit to Print” and also be considered the newspaper of record (by reputation) then they might want to stop asking questions like this: Should The Times Be a Truth Vigilante? by Arthur S. Brisbane

I’m looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about.

Has it really come to this? Isn’t it the job of any good journalist to decipher the facts and then report it? Should a journalist assume both sides of an argument have equal value and simply print both arguments and call it a day? Sometimes an argument is simply wrong and it’s the job of a good journalist to present the facts that show it is wrong, regardless of perceived bias. People might be biased but facts are facts. Of course sometimes the “facts” are obscure. A good journalist at least tries to decipher the truth even if it means being labeled biased. The New York Times is already labeled as liberal by conservatives and conservative media, so if it’s going to wear that badge regardless, it might as well do the job with honor.

It would make more sense if this had been the case: