I Belabor The NY Times Public Editor

Its a fine day for the Irish when I feel obliged to write to NY Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan. My now open letter below:

Ms. Sullivan;

I read with interest your column about instant "fact-checking" being brought into the news stories. I wonder whether readers can expect the same fact-checking standards displayed on the editorial page.

As an example, in the widely read Sunday Review editorial on gun control - the priority issue of the editorial board just now - readers are presented with this claim (my emphasis):

Despair Over Gun Deaths Is Not an Option

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD  DEC. 12, 2015

...

The Brady Law Most needed is an expansion of this law so that dealers and others now buying firearms on the Internet and at gun shows are subjected to background checks. The law has barred 2.5 million risky applicants in the last 20 years from buying guns, but it does not apply to 40 percent of total gun sales.

Times readers may not know that various gun control advocates have made this "40 percent of sales" claim over the last few years. It has been debunked by:

PolitFact: Mostly False  

Glenn Kessler, WaPo: Three Pinocchios (on a four point scale).

FactCheck.org: "Misleading".

If that is the standard of credibility and the respect for fact-checking that is displayed on the editorial page, what should we expect from the news side? One possible guess is that any advocacy supported by the Times editors will get a free pass.

Just so you know, a much different and carefully phrased version of this 40 percent claim can be supported by excerpts from an as-yet-unpublished, as-yet-unreviewed Harvard study; Nick Kristof linked to it on Dec 2 when he wrote:

An imperative first step is universal background checks to acquire a gun. New Harvard research suggests that about 40 percent of guns in America are acquired without a background check — which is just unconscionable.

That 40 percent figure includes gifts and inheritances, not just the "Internet and at gun show" sales cited by the editors. So sure, maybe Congress needs to close or clean up the birthday/Christmas gift loophole as well as the right to bequeath property upon one's death. Although I can already imagine the pushback  - they'll have to pry this wrapping paper from my cold, dead hands...

And scissors! Don't forget, these people are armed.

Please let me note - the new Harvard research estimates that 40% of guns are acquired by way of mechanisms not subject to background checks, then concludes that 20 million of the 300 million guns in America were so acquired. I don't claim to be the biggest math guy, but 40% of 300 million is 120 million, which looks to be 5-7 times larger than the 20 million unchecked guns they noted. I have no idea how to reconcile that since the study is not yet available, but maybe the Times fact-checkers will be on this.

Thanks for your attention. I hope you enjoy the holidays. If you have a chance to look at the editors cringe-inducing link to a rival of The Onion which I wrote about last week, that would be great. That was in

 An Opening for States to Restrict Guns

 By THE EDITORIAL BOARD  DEC. 9, 2015

...

Such efforts, while piecemeal, are critically important steps toward a safer country. States and cities have passed laws restricting or banning certain types of weapons, magazines and ammunition, and prohibiting certain classes of people, like those convicted of stalking or multiple instances of drunken driving, from possessing guns.

As I mentioned before, the "ammunition" link goes to the National Review, a rival of The Onion. A quick click on their home page gives the game away: their current headline is "Sarah Palin Bans Muslims from Entering Bristol Palin", if any of the Times interns are interested in upgrading their research skills.

And to be honest, although I described the link as "cringe-inducing", when I showed it to my college-age son he didn't cringe at all. He thought it was one of the funnier things he has seen in the Times in a while, and after saying something snide about the people who whine that the Times has no funny pages he wandered off to watch some football.

So your editors are spreading mirth in the holiday season, and who amongst us is so churlish as to belittle that?

Regards,

With the nations current oxycontin crackdown the job of NYT Public Editor must be impossible. Happy Holidays to her.

Comments

[Threadkiller]

LOL, TM!

[Jeff Dobbs]

TM:
As I mentioned before, the "ammunition" link goes to the National Review, a rival of The Onion.

Er, National Report.....

[Jeff Dobbs]

(if you fix it in the post - delete my comment, tm)

[clarice]

XOXO T M Fabulous.

[NK]

TM-- what is going on? you're snark quotient is way up. Granted that is justified by the pathetic conduct of Obummer the NYT and the rest of the Left. But this is not a new development, but your snark is.

Am I going to read in the Darien Patch about a middle aged man in bathrobe shouting at neighborhood children to get off of his lawn.... while eating an appropriate paleo snack. Just sayin'.

[centralcal]

I wondered about that National Review reference - tee hee.

[NK]

you're = your

[rse]

MM--it's the draft Indiana Plan under WIOA that is available for comment until December 23.

https://secure.in.gov/dwd/2893.htm

[Jane]

TM rocks!

[henry]

Yes TM. The mocking must continue!

[Dave (in MA)]

Public Editor, or as the late libertarian talk show host David Brudnoy used to call it, Person of Ombuds.

[narciso]

'a long time ago, in a galaxy, far far away"

http://narcisoscorner.blogspot.com/2012/12/normal-0-false-false-false.html?view=mosaic

[Threadkiller]

http://m.therightscoop.com/tom-brady-explains-why-he-supports-donald-trump/

[maryrose]

Deadlocked jury on Gray case for Officer Porter
Must be unanimous
At least one sane person on the jury
Judge sent them back for more deliberation

[maryrose]

TK
You were first
Thank you for restraint wrt to Meghan Kelly
Trump is trashing her again
Not classy in my book
Trump needs to clean up this part of his act

[Miss Marple 2]

maryrose,

Kelly invited Beck on and allowed him to pretty much call Trump a Nazi, so I am not terribly sympathetic.

[maryrose]

But MM
Did Kelly herself call him a Nazi?
No because she is too classy to do that
If Trump can't stand the heat. Get out of the kitchen!
I like Trump and what he says
I would vote for him if he is Repub candidate
I also want to see a poll where he beats Hillary by about 10 points

[narciso]

no Christie put a lawyer for Hamas, on the state supreme court, went along with the GZ mosque, pushed to topple Bashir, so does that show proper judgement,

[maryrose]

I don't like when he trashes other candidates I
like him on policy though

[Miss Marple 2]

maaryrose,

In my opinion if you have a guest on and it is obvious you know what is coming (by expression and body language) and your guest starts down that road, if you don't at least push back or say something like "I think you're exaggerating" or something like that, you are agreeing by your silence.

If Limbaugh had someone on who started something similar, I would feel exactly the same.

[Threadkiller]

Kelly sure tried to restrain Giuliani when he gave his opinion of Obama's love of America.

[Threadkiller]

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani made news recently when he said he didn’t believe that Obama loves America. This was the reason for his appearance on Fox News with Megyn Kelly.

After giving Giuliani the opportunity to apologize, Kelly hammered the former New York City Mayor for not doing so. Giuliani then invoked two names when describing Obama that far too few people do – Frank Marshall Davis and Saul Alinsky.

Instead of acknowledging these realities, Kelly continued to press Giuliani to take back his words. Giuliani came out looking great and Kelly, not so much...

http://shoebat.com/2015/02/20/must-watch-fox-news-host-megyn-kelly-grills-mayor-giuliani-telling-truth-obama/

This is the episode that finalized my opinion of her.

[henry]

What time is the CNN dipshits on parade with candidate reactions on?

[Miss Marple 2]

The undercard starts in 15 minutes. I am on Eastern time. I don't know if it is delayed or broadcast live with whatever time it happens to be where you are.

[Miss Marple 2]

CNN is currently lamenting that Trump isn't a "real conservative" and talk radio has backed him.

They do point out Trump has Sarah Palin in his corner, so that keeps conservatives on board.

If you ask me, Palin knows Trump isn't very conservative. She doesn't care. Her big thing is to destroy crony capitalism and right now the only way to do that is to elect someone who has no big dollar donors and is running with his own money.

[Puddin Floppy-Feet]

Since we are on a TOP 100 kick. Here are the top 100 Holiday songs so far this year from Billboard.

http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs

Missing as usual from the list and all song lists is the greatest Christmas song evah: Porky Pig sings Blue Christmas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg7HvF3a_Iw

[narciso]

exactly Trump's modest proposal, for instance is overbroad, but the braintrusts should have thought up an answer to a pressing question, like islamist immigration, it's a hanging curve ball.

[Puddin Floppy-Feet]

MM,

Did you see my reply to you regarding my grandfather's friendship with Wodehouse on the other thread?

[Dave (in MA)]

T-Mag Rules
The Old Grey Hag Drools

[FTL]

Just like Ike loved Tina.

[Miss Marple 2]

I hadn't read it PFF, but just went back and did. What a treat for your grandfather and your family!

It is my understanding he was a wonderful story-teller in person, as well.

Thanks for sharing that story!

[maryrose]

Trump isn't a true blue conservative but I think he could get things done that would help our country make a good comeback from the foibles of Obama

[Miss Marple 2]

The interesting thing about the Los Angeles thing is that they didn't have enough confidence in the FBI to leave the schools open.

TK is right that parents would have panicked, but in addition there is the "not taking chances" and "searching every school" thing which indicates to me they were just too worried to keep the schools open.

[Puddin Floppy-Feet]

MM,

A friend of mine has written a book about Wodehouse and his love of cricket. All my Wodehouse books are signed first editions. Frederick's tuition to Harvard:)

[maryrose]

Why does Trump always whine about being treated fairly?
He won't be treated fairly if he is elected President
So far Obama is the only one with a free pass

[Miss Marple 2]

PFF,

That is very cool. I have a bunch of Wodehouse books, but they are hardbacks picked up at Half-Price Books. (They tend to come up in estates and end up there because the heirs don't appreciate them.)

[narciso]

he clearly recognizes the parallels with silvio,

http://www.thelocal.it/20151215/salvini-hails-donald-trump-a-hero-at-party-bash

[Miss Marple 2]

I am going to post the debate (hopefully daddy will show up to help) but you guys owe me for having to listen to Begala.

[Puddin Floppy-Feet]

BTW.

I think they are coming and they are letting us know that.

My advice is learn situational awareness, arm yourself and family and report anything, anytime you see something not routine in your life especially in places with crowds.

They may only have one or two targets but how do you know its not in your area or place of being?

[new lurker]

You are right PFF, and I am thankful "they" will not come to my small town, but I do so worry about my four children in big cities in the US--Chicago, New York and Atlanta.

[Buckeye]

PFF

So what has your radar activated?

[Threadkiller]

Who is at the baby table? Graham, Santorum, and?

[Threadkiller]

So what has your radar activated?

A Muslim CiC.

[Miss Marple 2]

I don't know yet, TK. Cooper is gabbing with Axelrod and Begala and some gal I don't recognize.

[Threadkiller]

They are absolutely perplexed, MM.

Time to crack a beer.

[henry]

Pataki

[henry]

Huckster

[Miss Marple 2]

Maybe they will discuss this foreign policy debacle:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_US?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-12-15-16-01-54

Kerry accepts Putin's position on Assad, who can "stay for now"

[Threadkiller]

A foursome.

[Miss Marple 2]

Boy am I sick of Axelrod.

[JMHanes]

Miss Marple:

"If you ask me, Palin knows Trump isn't very conservative. She doesn't care. Her big thing is to destroy crony capitalism and right now the only way to do that is to elect someone who has no big dollar donors and is running with his own money."

Trump IS a crony. If he loses this election to Hillary, he'll be sinking money into the Clinton Foundation again, before she's even inaugurated.

[daddy]

I personally would put Great Expectations at the top of the list.

That one never did anything for me, but probably because we were ordered to read it in every school I moved to. Did Pip ever wind up with that nutcase Esmerelda? Beats me. I can't remember.

At least with Tolstoy I actually fell in love with Natasha from War and Peace.

And how come Margaret whoever can write "Gone With The Wind" and it spurs generations of knockoffs about what happened to Scarlette and Rhett, whereas England's exalted Chuck Dickins doesn't get a single "What happened next?" about Pip, etc?

[narciso]

that's the first thing, Lurch has said in 30 years, perhaps longer,

[Jeff Dobbs]

Last one of the night. Unless it's not!

My Torrance guy has completed his subsequent circles over the area south of Anaheim - and has landed at Long Beach Airport...

Oh, and I hadn't seen this before - a DHS helicopter. It was making its way to LAX:

[narciso]

smart thing, someone did write a novel about mrs, havisham.

[Jane]

OKay I lied, I'm not turning into the debate until the news is done. I'm not into the JV team.

[Miss Marple 2]

Well, I am interested in hearing the Huck and Lindsey folksy comedy duo.

[Miss Marple 2]

God Bless America sung and now they are reading them the rules.

[Miss Marple 2]

1-minute introduction speeches.

Lindsey starts out talking about his 36th trip to Iraq last week. Speaks about Special Forces sgt he spoke to.

When Lindsey told him to stay safe, the sgt said, "i'll do my best, but I am here to win."

[Threadkiller]

Does the same hold true if Trump lost to a Republican, JMH?

[Miss Marple 2]

Pataki speaks about radical Islam and a country divided by the president. Says Hillary is a failed secretary of state.

Accuses Trump of demonizing millions of Americans and laughing about it.

[maryrose]

Someone needs to tie Libya and ISIS to Hillary with a big fat bow

[Miss Marple 2]

Santorum: We have entered WWIII and have a leder who refuses to identify it and refuses to lead.

His plcies caused it, and he lit the fuse for a nuclear Iran. Details on Iran deal ignored, president wants to keep giving them money.

We need a president who will be honest with public, identify the problem, and do something.

[Threadkiller]

This group looks like the second string on The Andy Griffith Show.

Floyd, Goober, Otis, and Howard wannabes

[Threadkiller]

Huckabee is winning.

[Miss Marple 2]

Huckabee talks about people being angry and scared. Talks about someone shooting you at a Christmas party, describes failure of DHS and letting terrorists in.

People don't trust government any more.

[daddy]

Moby Dick was required reading my junior year in high school. I hated everyone in that book,

May I call you Ishmael?

Just kidding Miss M, but worth noting if you compare Melville and Darwin's writings on the Galapagos Islands.

Both were there within about 10 years of each other, both in sail powered vessels. Melville, the great novelist, writes about them as "The Encatadas", (The Enchanted Islands) and that uninspired bit of drivel comes across to me as, in Mark twain's great description of the Book of Mormon", chloroform in print.

Whereas take young Darwin's work, read his diary and then his discussion of the Galapagos in his "Voyage of the Beagle", and to me the topic couldnt' get any more interesting or well written.

I also like how when Darwin and his sisters are discussing Darwin's shipmates via their long, long letters back o=and forth during the 5 year voyage, they will frequently describe someone as being like some character in jane Austen novels "A regular Wickham", etc.

back to my beer-filled corner and my dunce cap:)

[Threadkiller]

Pataki has lost his mind.

[Miss Marple 2]

Lindsey responds to question about Trump's immigration ban and he says if he would support Trump.

Lindsey says if he's the nominee, so be it, but we should nominate someone that is worthy to be commander in chief.

Patacki calls Trump a Know-Nothing, and says as an afterthought that it's Obama and Hillary's fault.

[Threadkiller]

"Gee had" = jihad

[Threadkiller]

Santorum jumps on Trump's coattails and gets the most applause.

[Threadkiller]

Should be rides Trump's coattails.

[JMHanes]

daddy:

"And how come… England's exalted Chuck Dickins doesn't get a single "What happened next?" about Pip, etc?"

Afraid I couldn't say daddy, but P.D. James' "sequel" to Pride and Prejudice recently got it's own mini-series, Death Comes to Pemberley, so there's that. It wasn't P&P, but it wasn't bad either, almost a breath of fresh air, really.

[JMHanes]

Wouldn't surprise me, TK, assuming he doesn't go all third party.

[Miss Marple 2]

Santorum says Trump has a point, and while it's tempting to pile on because of the polls.

Graham goes on about how the King of Jordan feels, Santorum says that while he doesn't agree with Trump's proposal, we need to have a better way of screening.

Huckabee says Trump doesn't scare him, he would do a lot better than Hillary.

Says people are scared and angry and that's why they agree with him. Says Trump's proposal is impractical because jihadists will lie about being Muslims.

[daddy]

I also have to mention that in the Futurama episode where the alien brains arrive and dumb down all of human society, only to be defeated ultimately by Fry's "Virtual" detour into famous American Literature to throw them off their attack, we do get what I consider to be the best line ever regarding "Moby Dick", when the one eyed mutant Leela comes on to Melville's tattooed shipmate and says to him:

"Is there a Mrs Queequeg?

[Miss Marple 2]

Graham says Paul and Cruz are isolationists, says both want to restrict NSA monitoring.

Says we are at war. These people are not wanting to steal your car, they want to kill you.

Says you should only be scared if you're talking to a terrorist.

[Miss Marple 2]

Hewitt asks Patacki how he would monitor and shut down mosques, he gives an extensive nothing answer about radicalization.

[JMHanes]

Bless you and your keyboard too, MissM.

[maryrose]

Santorum explains Islam very well
Huckster says go into the mosques and find out what is happening

[Miss Marple 2]

Got to take a break, back in 5 minutes.

[Momto2]

Thank you, thank you - the marvelous Miss M.

[maryrose]

TK
Your Mayberry analogy has me in stitches
We already call the Huckster Gomer

[daddy]

Yes TM. The mocking must continue!

Posted by: henry

Henry,

My investigation yesterday into the disappearance of "Withering Questions" at the NYTimes yesterday led me to this NYTimes Quote from 2015:

"By turns withering and mocking, Republican presidential candidates blasted President Obama's address on terrorism on Sunday night,"

This tells us therefore that you can new feel free now to say stuff like "Yes TM. The Withering and mocking must continue!"

Just don't use it next to "questions," which, if they are "withering," remain verboten.

[Miss Marple 2]

Huckabee talks about destroying ISIS. Graham says if you pledge allegiance to Al Bagdadi you can't get married in America.

"Kill every one of those bastards you can find," says graham. "Whatever it takes. Follow me, I want victory."

[henry]

Daddy, the NYT is a self withering entity which should be mocked at every opportunity. No question(s).

[squaredance]

Have a gander at this condesending nonsense.

read the comments. The contempt the left have for their fellow Americans will just make your blood boil.

This is about the so called "dumb white males" that have been left behind, and is a real slander of anyone who suports Trump at all.

In actual fact, most of these so-called "educated" white liberals produce no wealth at all, and are employed in the vampire economy, yet they think that honest working white people, particularly males.

What particularly amazes is the notion that they are uneducated bumpkins and middle class.

(and frankly I do not believe that the Trump demographic is this demographic at all--not in total.)

It amazes that they think they are so well educated when in fact they have the most mediocre of educations.

I do not see how the country can continue this way with condescending parasites seeking to destroy the very backbone of the nation.

Believe me, "women" or "minorities" will not replace them. How does the elite keep there fake jobs when no one is doing an honest days work.

I am so fed up with this fake elite, its condescension and their traitorous party.

What a disaster they are for the nation.

[maryrose]

Huckster looking good

[Threadkiller]

(and frankly I do not believe that the Trump demographic is this demographic at all--not in total.)

I stand with squaredance!

[Threadkiller]

Graham says he can make others pay for a war.

How Trumpian of him.

[Jane]

Holy shit - suddenly there are 4 war mongers on the stage!

[henry]

OK, so CNNs plan is to make all republicans look like xenophobic warmongers each more dangerous than even Trump.

[daddy]

I've been gone all day so haven't started catch-up, but here's Katherine Herridge on Gretta with her take on the ISIS note that shut down the LA School District:

Gretta: What are we learning?

Herridge: There are really 3 main points here.

1) First and foremost, the FBI ...are trying to identify who really originated this threat by E-Mail. As a previous guest mentioned it has been traced to this Internet protocol address in Germany. That's a numeric code like your street address or phone number for your computer, but that can be spoofed or mimicked in a way that it can confuse the sender over who sent the original message.

2) Second the FBI and others are mapping other IP addresses so other devices that are connected to this account to understand whether they have ties to ISIS or Al Quada and

3) Third, this is what people are saying privately but I've not heard it publicly, theres' real concern that this may have been whats called "a probing incident", A probing incident is a fancy way of saying that Extremists or Terrorists are trying to test the system to se how we respond and what the threshold is for action, and as they found out in Los Angeles the threshold was not high for action to shut down those schools.

[henry]

GMTA, and occasionally we do too. :)

[JMHanes]

squaredance:

Even the photo caption is a sneering "Laying on of hands." But wait, about that photo, where's the "stereotypical Trump supporter -- white, male and without a college degree?" NTTAWWT, but the crowd looks like a couple of guys and a whole lotta women.

How much do we actually know about the Trump demographic?

[daddy]

I am going to post the debate (hopefully daddy will show up to help)

Sorry Miss Marple,

I have to go walk the dogs.

This sucks with the sun setting before 4 PM nowadays. Bye:(

[Stephanie]

Lindsey looks like he's about to cry.

[Miss Marple 2]

Sorry, got a phone call I had to deal with.

[henry]

Pataki "it's Hillary's fault"

[Jane]

I can't get over how the JV team are all ready to go to war today - everywhere it seems.