Washington, DC — DCspectator is a pro-GOP, pro-Bush, site — but my A list first read is always the New York Times. Ideological bias? Could care less. The Times’ news judgment and reporting depth and quality, along with the Wall Street Journal, is the standard. But Al Baker’s story in the New York Times today regarding a $350 ‘Tea Party’ fundraiser ticket scheme tangentially involving Jeannine Pirro and Libby Pataki doesn’t even meet New York Post standards.
In fact, it’s so dumb, explaining the premise of the story is a waste of time. Check it out.
It’s unusual for the Times to let such a thin, non-news piece of b.s. into the paper. One can only conclude NYT Metro has decided to dive in and follow the Post with some Pataki-Pirro bashing, which, is increasingly in vogue. It’s cyclical — nothing more and nothing less, but the Times story today sets an incredibly low bar for news.
Anyone even remotely involved in campaign financing knows a two month (or even a six month) delay in paying a “bill” for a fundraiser, or anything else, is standard operating procedure — some entities don’t even get around to billing event attendees for weeks or even months.
And $350 lousy bucks? A propsective officeholder will be unduly influenced by that?
Be real.
Let’s see a little better news judgment from the Times.