Sep 18, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/books/review/Buruma.t.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087%0A&en=03f0fda2ce6b8f7f&ex=1158724800

From review of Frank Rich Book on NY Times

"THERE may be one other reason for the fumbling: the conventional methods of American journalism, marked by an obsession with access and quotes. A good reporter for an American paper must get sources who sound authoritative and quotes that show both sides of a story. His or her own expertise is almost irrelevant. If the opinions of columnists count for too much in the American press, the intelligence of reporters is institutionally underused. The problem is that there are not always two sides to a story. Someone reporting on the persecution of Jews in Germany in 1938 would not have added “balance” by quoting Joseph Goebbels. And besides, as Judith Miller found out, what is the good of quotes if they are based on false information?"

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