The first I heard of this NY Times kerfuffle was from the linked-to Volokh Conspiracy post (by Jim Lindgren) that I just read a few seconds ago.
The Times does a lot of things that reflect bias (I've mentioned before my amusement at some of their framing choices, as for example when Republicans "attack" but Democrats merely "criticize") but in this case I see nothing wrong with putting both candidates on an even footing (aside from the unavoidable "one or the other had to be published first").
Letting both candidates set their views out is quite different from putting one on the spot and then giving the other a "rebuttal" as such.
Letting both candidates set their views out is quite different from putting one on the spot and then giving the other a "rebuttal" as such.
I am utterly confused here. Which one is the Times insisting on? It cant be the second since I dont see how the Times could put Obama "on the spot" since they cant order him to write for their op-ed page. But if it is the first, why is it not legit for McCain to draw comparisons between his views and those of Obama's? Must he go through the charade of saying things like "Some want us to...".
Or I am missing something pretty basic here since I haven't followed this issue at all?
Posted by: Kubi at July 22, 2008 11:35 AMSo Obama sent an op-ed to the Times, which ran it. McCain sent a response op-ed; the Times said it would not run that piece as written but would run it if revised to be something other than responding directly to the points in Obama's own op-ed.
(Basically asking McCain to pretend that the op-ed didn't exist but that everything else was like real life, which seems fair enough to me - simulating the experience of if both candidates had independently submitted op-eds on the same topic.)
Posted by: me at July 22, 2008 12:41 PMSo what did the Times expect would happen? Is there some reason they couldn't have put a feeler out for a McCain op-ed on this topic before running Obama's? It is not like the topic must be addressed in the next week or so or it will be stale.
Posted by: Kubi at July 22, 2008 07:04 PM