DeLay Decries "Activist Journalism"

In an interview with the Washington Times, Tom DeLay rightly attacked the opinion page staff of the New York Times:

Mr. DeLay also lashed out at newspapers and magazines that have published what he said were "old news" stories about his foreign travel, the structure of his political action committee and his relationships to lobbyists. He criticized the New York Times in particular, whose op-ed page actively sought a major Republican to write a piece critical of Mr. DeLay.

"That's activist journalism," Mr. DeLay said. "Somebody ought to look at the organizations and ask the New York Times, The Washington Post, the L.A. Times, Time, Newsweek, AP, why they're spending all these resources they are. ... Are they collaborating with all these organizations that are funded by George Soros?"

It is not unusual for an editorial staff to actively seek an op/ed on a timely subject, and DeLay is certainly timely. It would have been fine under the MSM's "objectivity" standard, which is a much different standard than "fairness," to seek a GOP-written "hail-DeLay" piece to counter a DNC "hang DeLay" piece.

But soliciting a GOP hit piece against a GOP leader is a very different thing. The NYT's only defense would be if it had a "hail DeLay" piece written by a leading Democrat and wanted to balance that. And the chances of that are right up there with the chances that Mr. Clinton did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky.