New Republic: Liberal With The Facts

I haven't been along for the ride on the Scott Thomas (now Beauchamp), New Republic, Franklin Foer, Weekly Standard battle that's been raging, but vacations can change things so I've been keeping up -- and it was worth it because today New Republic editor Franklin Foer tells all (ha!) to WaPo's media columnist, Howard Kurtz.

And it's ugly. Ugly. Ugly.

LGF honed in right away on the wart-on-the-nose ugliness:

And then we have this statement.

The magazine’s editor, Franklin Foer, disclosed in an interview that Beauchamp is married to a New Republic staffer, and that is “part of the reason why we found him to be a credible writer.”

Wow. Oblivious to the ethical problems, or just saying anything to divert attention? You decide.

To not disclose that Beauchamp is married to a TNR staffer is an ethical breach you could walk the Israelites through, but there's an even worse breach revealed nonchallantly in Kurtz' column:

Foer said the magazine is attempting to confirm every detail. "We are trying to be as deliberate and meticulous as we possibly can," he said. "We're not going to be rushed into making any sort of snap judgment."

Let's turn this around. Let's say someone at Fox ... Ollie North, for example ... reported from Iraq that Irianian troops were playing with the skulls of children, running over dogs and mocking war-injured Iraqis while cruising around Baghdad. After the expected cries of outrage and challenges to Ollie's journalistic integrity, a Fox editor says Fox is trying to confirm the details of the story they've already broadcast.

Normally fact-checking comes first, unless of course you're already denying your readers certain facts ... like your independent soldier columnist is married to a staffer who's gleefully covered the Dems' Congressional victory and ridiculed celebs who support the war.

This is all standard operating procedure for the Libs. While they distrust everything the establishment has to say, they feel no particular need or obligation to be trustworthy in what they say. Throw it out; see if it sticks -- that's liberal journalism and leftist activism in a nutshell.

And of course the shame is on the right for demanding documentation -- "It is really unfortunate that someone like Scott, who was really only trying to tell his particular story, has become a pawn in the debate over the war and the Weekly Standard's efforts to press an ideological agenda," Foer told Kurtz -- not on the left, for not providing it.