Glenn Reynolds has this shocker (links with in the original at www.instapundit.com): February 21, 2004 AND PEOPLE WONDER WHY THE NEW YORK TIMES HAS CREDIBILITY ISSUES? Compare this **quote** from the Times a couple of weeks ago: "'I don't think I could vote for George Bush again when I think of the 500 people killed in Iraq and what's happened to the economy in this country,'" said George Meagher, an independent, who runs the American Military Museum in Charleston and said he now favors Mr. Kerry." with this **quote** from today: "George Meagher, a Republican who founded and now runs the American Military Museum in Charleston, S.C., said he threw his 'heart and soul' into the Bush campaign four years ago. . . . 'People like me, we're all choking a bit at not supporting the president. But when I think about 500 people killed and what we've done to Iraq.'" This looks suspiciously like the same quote, recycled and relabeled. But thanks to the Internet, we can fact-check your ass. (Originally spotted **here**, with what I think is an appropriate comment: "Shame on the NYTimes....but then, it says alot that they have to keep interviewing the same guy over and over for different stories, to gather the right soundbite.") Or, more likely, recycling the original quote in a different story. And as for relabeling the source guy from "independent" to "Republican" to fit the slant of the story, well, that's pretty lame -- especially as the stories are by the same reporter.
Daniel Okrent, the public editor for The New York Times, attempts to get real about the above: http://forums.nytimes.com/top/opinion/readersopinions/forums/thepubliceditor/danielokrent/index.html?offset=14&fid=.f555e99/14 --Orson
