Mark Steyn is the victim of shoddy reporting:
As I understand it, what we’re supposed to miss about US newspapers will be the “layers of fact-checking” and rigorous editing. In reality, a significant percentage of American newspapering is little more than provincial wannabes doing New York Times karaoke – which might have made more sense before young Sulzberger drove his paper to junk stock and into the arms of its unlikely Mexican benefactor. Meanwhile, tens of millions of real people hear Rush’s show, but any similarity between the audio and the version that appears in the “newspaper of record” is entirely coincidental.
As for my former colleague in Dublin, too many overseas “bureaus” in Washington boil down to paying someone to relocate halfway round the world, sit in an office at the National Press Building and transcribe The New York Times and Wolf Blitzer’s “Situation Room” all day long. An expensive business model.
Expensive, with a crappy product.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Related thoughts from Kaus:
I’ve been waiting for the day when a prominent pol resigns and for print MSM readers it appears to be out-of-the-blue, though everyone on the Web knows the whole story. But for WaPo’s Franke-Ruta and Kornblut, this would be that case. … In any case, more evidence that you can’t find out whats going on by reading the Times.
But you can find out things that aren’t going on, like Mark Steyn saying that Obama is like Saddam and the Dear Leader.
The Corner’s permalinks are FUBAR, but interested readers can still find Steyn’s post on the Corner’s front page.
Later, people like Bob and Jim will provide Google searches showing how “Republicans” (not that Mark Steyn is one, but that never matters) compared Obama to Saddam and Jung Il. Just click there names to read the source.
And, predictably, the line is solidifying …
Van Jones was slandered by a wingnut extremist; he wanted to defend himself against the lies but he selflessly and nobly decided to step down so his defense wouldn’t be a distraction from the important work the Obama administration has to do this week. Besides, the only thing he did wrong was to insult Republicans — but he apologized! — and to sign a petition on a clipboard that somebody thrust in his face that never, ever represented his real views. Fortunately Jones was only a low-level advisor without a formal position who wasn’t being entrusted with any serious duties or a large budget. The overworked White House staffers would have vetted him more carefully, but there are just so many important things to do … Move along, move along, nothing to see here, old news …
Oh crap. I thought I closed that tag.
Looks like the Corner has fixed its permalinks.