PORTLAND, Ore. The current scandal with the "New York Times" over the editorial fakery provided by reporter Jayson Blair proves the newspaper has all the news that's fit -- to lie.
That's the opinion of former tabloid journalist Peter Fenton, who says the boo-boos Blair got away with at the "Times" never would have passed muster at a so-called "sleazy" supermarket weekly like the "National Enquirer."
Tabloid headlines are typically more sensational than the stodgy ones at the "Times" but Fenton says tabloid editors are more concerned with facts.
For instance, the "Enquirer" requires reporters to read direct quotes back to sources -- and get the response on tape. The "Times" doesn't do that, nor does it require reporters to provide contact numbers or even bother to check expense accounts to see what the journalist really did with his or her time.
Fenton says the so-called "fabri-gate" scandal was just waiting to happen, and figures it proves the "Enquirer" is still more reliable than the "New York Times."
That's the opinion of former tabloid journalist Peter Fenton, who says the boo-boos Blair got away with at the "Times" never would have passed muster at a so-called "sleazy" supermarket weekly like the "National Enquirer."
Tabloid headlines are typically more sensational than the stodgy ones at the "Times" but Fenton says tabloid editors are more concerned with facts.
For instance, the "Enquirer" requires reporters to read direct quotes back to sources -- and get the response on tape. The "Times" doesn't do that, nor does it require reporters to provide contact numbers or even bother to check expense accounts to see what the journalist really did with his or her time.
Fenton says the so-called "fabri-gate" scandal was just waiting to happen, and figures it proves the "Enquirer" is still more reliable than the "New York Times."
