NYT Credibility Problem

The New York Times has a reputation for making up stories on the spot. Continuing their tradition we get this out of the Boston Globe (which is owned by the NYT).

BOSTON - A Boston Globe freelance writer fabricated large chunks of a story published this week, the newspaper said Friday in the latest incident to embarrass the U.S. media.

The Globe, which is owned by The New York Times Co., said it stopped using writer Barbara Stewart because of a story that ran on Wednesday about a seasonal hunt for baby seals off Newfoundland -- a hunt, it turns out, that had not taken place.

The thing this story failed to mention is that this woman wrote for the NYT before she went "freelance" for the Globe.

The story datelined Halifax, Nova Scotia, described in graphic detail how the seal hunt began Tuesday, with water turning red as hunters on some 300 boats shot harp seal cubs "by the hundreds."

The problem, however, was that the hunt did not begin Tuesday; it was delayed by bad weather and was scheduled to start Friday, weather permitting, the Globe said in an editor's note.

Stewart could not immediately be reached for comment.

Yeah, I bet she couldn't. She wasn't there, she didn't even do the basic research to find out that the hunt was delayed, but on top of it all gave an eye-witness account to the "hundreds" of seals shot. Those poor imaginary seals.

The newspaper, which received a complaint from the Canadian government, said it should not have published the story and should have insisted on attribution for details because the writer was not reporting from the scene.

"Details included the number of hunters, a description of the scene, and the approximate age of the cubs. The author's failure to accurately report the status of the hunt and her fabrication of details at the scene are clear violations of the Globe's journalistic standards," it added.

I am almost shocked that the Canadian government compained about this rather than point out their quite anti-liberal practice up der. But at least they are pointing out the stupidity of liberals to quote their "bastion of truth" the New York Times. I enjoy the New York Times status sliding closer and closer to The Onion. I laugh that the left has slipped to lies and deceit. They no longer (if ever) engage in honest and intelligent debate.

This story made my night