The Okrent Wimpy Show

Stand back, Danny boy, and watch a real ombudsman show you how it's done.

Michael Getler, in the Sunday WaPo:

Referring to the Sunday story, especially, one reader said: "It was PR puffery for the president based entirely on anonymous sources. I thought The Post had rules against that, especially when the officials quoted are not disclosing anything that could get them in trouble. If the White House wants to launch what Robin Wright calls a 'tightly orchestrated public relations effort' make them do it on the record." I'll vote for that.

Then, the administration hit the daily double. On Wednesday, a front-page story by reporters Susan Schmidt and Dana Priest was headlined, "U.S. Warns of Al Qaeda Threat This Summer; Agents in Country Said to Be Planning Attack." The headline and first paragraph of this quite detailed story suggested that al Qaeda has people in the United States. The second paragraph said "Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III intend to hold a joint news conference this afternoon to discuss the threat" and to ask Americans to watch out for al Qaeda operatives who "may be in the country."

The actual news conference was then the lead story in the next day's paper, Thursday, with many of the same details, including indications that terrorists want to mount an attack that would affect the upcoming election. That story, by Schmidt and John Mintz, reported the naming by the FBI of seven suspected agents -- all but one of whom have been sought for several months -- and reported that "officials said they do not know whether any of the seven is in the United States." (Emphasis added.)

That was no daily double. That was the trifecta.

But Getler knows how to name and shame, while Okrent just blows cold and cold. The reader quoted by Getler makes the same point I made here, that the Wright piece was source free and substance free.

Democracy Now! also had some good coverage of the Times' Chalabi Seconds in this interview today with Rick MacArthur and Scott Ritter.