This week The New York Times published a story that raised questions about Sen. John McCain's relationship with a lobbyist. The Breeze didn't run the story, but it has gotten a lot of attention in other media. The focus is turning from the article itself to the question of whether it was ethical for the Times to run such an article. In fact, the newsroom has fielded more than 2,000 comments from around the country.
Today, The New York Times staff is answering questions from the public about the reporting that went into the article. If you have a question, send it here. Here's the lead-off question:
I must say that the McCain article left me embarrassed for your paper. So little substance, but trumpeted prominently as though you somehow had the goods on him or were raising burning questions. It makes it look like your reporters or editors had an ax to grind. I hope they didn't. Question: Do you read the coverage of your coverage? Did you see the piece at slate.com ridiculing your paper for this? Doesn't it smart?
And part of the response from Executive Editor Bill Keller:
Personally, I was surprised by the volume of the reaction (including more than 2,400 reader comments posted on our Web site). I was surprised by how lopsided the opinion was against our decision, with readers who described themselves as independents and Democrats joining Republicans in defending Mr. McCain from what they saw as a cheap shot.
The Times Web site has the original article, follow-ups, a response from McCain as well as comments from readers. You have to register to get in to the site, but it's free and painless.
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