CNN and the Detroit Free Press remind me of why we miss the Rocky Mountain News.
Years ago, the News had a foreign affairs editor named Holger Jensen. Jensen was relentlessly anti-Israel, reliably making excuses for her attackers, and faulting Israel for defending herself. His fact-checking was always a little suspect, but in April 2002, Jensen went too far. He reprinted offensive excerpts from an Amos Oz interview purported to be with Ariel Sharon. In fact, the interview was not with then-Prime Minister Sharon, but with another soldier.
This was, you remember, mere weeks after the murderous Passover Bombing in Netanya. Israel’s response, which was drawing howls of indignation, and Jensen probably thought the timing was right.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. The Rocky had finally had enough, and Jensen was forced to retire.
The *best* respose so far to the Limbaugh Quote Fabrications has been a sort of looking-down-at-one’s-feet-while-poking-the-ground-with-one’s-toe that you’d get from a kindergartener. More typical has been a pro forma, “sorry,” while skipping away to the next maladventure, typical of a sixth grader.
Which is what you get when the Adult Supervision has left the room.