THE FIRST CASUALTY OF THE PRESS

Vote of No Confidence (Howard Kurtz, May 26, 2003, Washington Post)

One of the lingering mysteries of the Jayson Blair affair is why the people whose quotes were fabricated or plagiarized didn't complain to the New York Times.

The Associated Press managing editors surveyed 3,000 people through its Credibility Roundtables Project, and many people said they don't contact newspapers about mistakes. "What's the point?" said Deborah Hudgins of Manchester, Md. "Do they really care?"

"Why waste the time," said John Martin Meek of Green Valley, Ariz., adding that the local paper has never responded to his calls or e-mails. Newspaper errors, said Karen Johnson of Otis Orchards, Wash., are really "deliberate embellishments or fabrications to make the story more interesting." Pretty depressing stuff.

Obviously it's his profession so he has a sentimental attachment to it, but Mr. Kurtz can't really be surprised that we distrust the press, can he? Posted by Orrin Judd at May 26, 2003 10:12 AM