Thursday, October 04, 2012

What about "All the News" don't you understand?

The tendency of The New York Times to publish opinion pieces masquerading as news stories continues.  Let's take today's piece about the Obama-Romney debate.

We learn:

That Mr. Romney used "the first presidential debate to invigorate his candidacy by presenting himself as an equal who can solve problems Mr. Obama has been unable to."

That "the president implored Americans to be patient."

That "the 90-minute debate unfolded much like a seminar by a business consultant and a college professor."

That "they talked over each other without connecting their ideas to voters."

That "if Mr. Romney’s goal was to show that he could project equal stature to the president, he succeeded."

That "Mr. Obama, who has appeared to take command of the race in most battleground states, seemed to adopt an air of caution."

That "style points went to Mr. Romney."

I am sure authors Jeff Zeleny and Jim Rutenberg are thoughtful and wise political analysts, but a front page, right column story is supposed to be news, not opinion.  Please don't tell us how we should evaluate the debate.  Report it.  If you want to publish an opinion piece, it should be labeled "news analysis," like the adjoining article.

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