'We Were Arrogant': New York Times editor Dean Baquet: We failed to do our job after 9/11

[kpete]

Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times, is unusually self-critical. In an interview, he admits that it pained him to see Edward Snowden give his story to others and explains why his paper chose not to run Charlie Hebdo caricatures of Muhammad.



(some snippets):

.........

SPIEGEL: In August, you announced a major shift in the New York Times coverage of the CIA scandal. You began calling some interrogation techniques "torture". For years the newspaper had used terms like "harsh interrogation techniques". Why did it take you so long to make that decision?

Baquet: I wasn't here when the original decision was made not to use "torture," but I understand the decision. At that time, we didn't know much about what was done to these guys. Nobody knew how many times Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed had been waterboarded. We then waited too long as we started learning more about what was done. As soon as we learned that, we should have said: Let's start using the word "torture".

SPIEGEL: Was that because you followed the government's definition, which did not view it as falling under the legal definition of torture?

Baquet: The government shouldn't get to define what "torture" is. We should have started using the word a long time ago. I started using the word a few months ago, not long after I became editor. Mark Mazzetti who covers the CIA for us, called me up and he said, "This report is coming out in a few months. We should revisit the New York Times' policy on using the word 'torture.'" I got him and a couple of the reporters on the phone, and they said, "Okay. Here is what we now know and what we have reported," and they recounted things we have reported before. And I said, "Of course, this is torture." Sometimes we make decisions, because we're too slow, we're human, we don't think of things in time, things fall under the radar. Sometimes we're really dumb, to be frank.

SPIEGEL: One of your best reporters, James Risen, said in a speech that the mainstream "failed after 9/11." Do you agree?

Baquet: Yes, absolutely. The mainstream press was not aggressive enough after 9/11, was not aggressive enough in asking questions about a decision to go to war in Iraq, was not aggresive enough in asking the hard questions about the War on Terror. I accept that for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

.............


very revealing interview (a little late):
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/spiegel-interview-with-chief-new-york-times-editor-dean-baquet-a-1014704.html
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/new-york-times-editor-dean-baquet-we-failed-to-do-our-job-after-911/

[Scuba]

1. 'Bout time!

[uhnope]

29. we ARE arrogant

I don't see how they would do anything different the next time

[Octafish]

2. Fuck you New York Times.

You weren't arrogant. You were willing.

Judith Miller was one of the coalition, along with Scooter Libby, a full fledged Aspen.

[merrily]

4. +1

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. Octa Bravos for thee.

[navarth]

28. +1

[Jesus Malverde]

34. They are the big pipes of the mighty wurlitzer...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mighty_Wurlitzer

[hibbing]

45. + quatro

The war criminals who started this still admit they would do the same thing today and that no mistakes were made. Their cheerleaders in the corporate media just now are realizing the mistake that it was...what, over ten years later? What a joke.

Peace

[Art_from_Ark]

64. DUer SoCalDem summed it up succintly with this cartoon

[billhicks76]

50. Bush Didn't Do His Job ON 911

Why would he...Cheney and Bush's father wanted to make sure 911 wasn't stopped.

[billhicks76]

51. And Because Of This Our Current Politicians Who Don't Question Are Not Worth A Dime

[Enthusiast]

66. You got that shit right.

That would include just about 100% of them.

[calimary]

58. I suspect they felt that they were too tough

on Clinton during the whole sordid Monica mess. They woke up to their ridiculous prurient obsession that they sucked straight out of the GOP elephant teat. So they probably figured "well, we'll go easier with the next President."

And so bush/cheney got the easy-breezy "see no evil/hear no evil/speak no evil" treatment. Then they woke up and decided "well, guess we better tighten up and not let the next President get away with anything..." And so they then bore down hard on Barack Obama, AGAIN sucking off the GOP elephant teat.

If, Heaven forbid, we have another CON in the White House next time - watch 'em "get religion" and decide that since they guess they might have been a little too derelict in their bloodthirsty coverage of this President, they guess they better start going a little easier on the next President...

And so it goes. Assuming that, I'm even more ardently hoping the White House stays in friendly hands in 2016. Maybe that idiot news-coverage cycle will work in our favor next time.

[Enthusiast]

65. They were fully fledged participants. Their mission was to convey misinformation

directly from the CIA to the American people.

[merrily]

3. "Not aggressive enough" is quite the understatement. You made Pravda look good. You still do.

[cstanleytech]

36. I was thinking the same thing actually because the truth is they rolled over and

literally went to sleep.

[forest444]

42. Na Zdorovie!

+1

[Brickbat]

5. No reason to not do it now, of course.

[KingCharlemagne]

7. You only have the blood of 1,000,000+ innocent Iraqis dripping from your

masthead.

Douche Baquet.

[Fred Sanders]

8. And nothing has changed as the NYT and others look away from Christian radicalism and denial

of science as political policy.

Once again standing idly by as CU destroys democracy and the fascists creep closer to undermining secularism.

Folks at NYT do agree it is a secular state, and it must be jealously guarded against the Jesus freaks, right? Isn't that what Charlie said clearly...protect the secular state?

Media Fail, Part Deux is currently playing out in the American media, same as the first act.

[hatrack]

9. "Whiny, Table For One?"

Bite me, Dean, and then cram the apology.

You and your paper didn't do their FUCKING JOB and hundreds of thousands of people are dead as a result.

[calimary]

59. THIS^^^^

I doubt they've learned much of anything. The GOP message machine still leads them around by their lazy unquestioning gullible "give 'em the benefit of the doubt" noses.

[Nay]

10. Ya think???

Well, like McNamara, the newsies do their mea culpas years and years after huge damage is done.

Has Mr Baquet resigned in shame? Nope.

The very existence of a news organization, unless it is simply a propaganda arm, is to be aggressive in its search for the truth of things, no matter who's ox gets gored. That should be its guiding principle. The fact that he can be so damn sorry 12 years after only tells me that he is perfectly willing to turn another blind eye to the facts when another round of warmongering bullshit starts.

[deminks]

11. The MSM was complicit, not simply arrogant and not simply slow or human or anything else. nt

That's why at least the NYT had CIA operatives running around Iraq looking for anything that could be called a WMD, heh Judy?

IMHO.

[leveymg]

12. Two rules - Rule 1: Telling the truth is nothing compared to being able to keep their cushy jobs

For many professional reporters, it's really as simple as that. Rule 2: Major media is a conduit for disinformation. Some, like Judy, were career disinformation operatives serving a cause, tolerated by the others, in observance of Rule 1.

[closeupready]

18. That's exactly it.

[kpete]

26. ding, ding, ding

peace to you leveymg,
kp

[Generic Other]

40. Or this

Edited: A portrait of the NYTimes editorial staff now.

[procon]

13. Barquet says the "next Snowden" should come to New York Times

to cover their bombshell story because they "have the bodies, the brains, and, I would argue, the guts to publish it."

Uh-huh... and this eye-roller came right after he admits to capitalizing on the "Je suis Charlie" slogan without publishing the cartoons, being squishy on the whole definition of "torture", and not asking the needful questions before the Iraq War.

What a wuss.

[KeepItReal]

16. And the Times will hold off publishing it until *after* the next relevant election

like they did for W.

The New York Times' revelation yesterday that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to conduct domestic eavesdropping raised eyebrows in political and media circles, for both its stunning disclosures and the circumstances of its publication.

In an unusual note, the Times said in its story that it held off publishing the 3,600-word article for a year after the newspaper's representatives met with White House officials. It said the White House had asked the paper not to publish the story at all, "arguing that it could jeopardize continuing investigations and alert would-be terrorists that they might be under scrutiny."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/16/AR2005121601716.html

[malaise]

14. Nobody knew how many times Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed had been waterboarded

Bullshit - once is torture

[KittyWampus]

55. I did a double take on that sentence as well.

[bemildred]

15. "And we still are." nt

[closeupready]

17. Talk is cheap. Not impressed.

[stillwaiting]

19. So funny. NYT is not being aggressive enough on several issues TODAY. *cough* TPP *cough*

If the TPP passes and it ushers in even worse conditions for Americans, I guess we might get a mea culpa some years down the road if we're "lucky".

[valerief]

20. Blah, blah, blah. We are the .01%. Blah, blah, blah. nt

[on point]

21. Why I no longer subscribe. Abject failure to be a newspaper. Just a mouthpiece for the PTB.

Do an expose on how the NYT lied for Bush. Do an expose on how all the mass media is lying to American people, including yourselves. Maybe then I will consider buying the paper again

As said below. Waterboarding someone once s torture. Shouldn't have to check with the Bush admin to call it for what it is.

[Rex]

22. Don't apologize to us, apologize to the 4000 plus families missing a son or daughter or mother

or father. The ones that went to Iraq and died for nothing...yes I say again, for NOTHING. FUCK the NYT I will never forgive them for HELPING the BFEE push war onto the population as a viable option in Iraq.

So, the NYT parrots the government line of 'harsh interrogation techniques' for over a decade and now with their new guy we are supposed to just let it all go?

NOPE. The best thing that could happen is for the NYT to fold up shop and for all the CIA operatives working there to go onto other assignments.

[Downtown Hound]

23. Yeah, thanks for this bullshit confession after nearly 5000 American deaths,

hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, more than a trillion dollars gone, economic collapse, national honor ruined, and our constitution shredded later. Now go fuck off and kill yourself.

[Orsino]

25. No date given for a return to responsible journalism?

Still arrogant.

[underpants]

27. More like compliment intimidated and probably blackmailed

IMHO

[Skittles]

30. it's what happens when install a nitwit into the White House

along with a corporate press

it can happen again, and most likely will

[JDPriestly]

31. Finally. I'm still waiting for the LA Times to admit its fault in its sloppy reporting on the pre-

Iraq-War era and the basis for invading Iraq. It's positively shameful that the news media is so beholden to the government for access. We have a free press. But the free press does not have free access to our government's information.

Too many secrets. And too high a price for access to government officials and information.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

32. Yeah, like "They hate us for our freedom"....

They hate us because we really ARE pissing them off in ways the public would never support if they knew about it.

[heaven05]

33. geez

what BS.

[dissentient]

35. As another reply already said, it wasn't arrogance, but complicity. They knew what they were doing

and so did the mass media who refused to show much of or pay much attention to, and gave short shrift to the millions demonstrating against the war, both here in America, and world-wide.

The mass media was serving their masters, the top 1% and their corporate owners, who happily went along with the Bush program and were fully on board.

[calimary]

60. And oh Dear God we can't lose our precious ACCESS!!!!

Well FUCK it!!! If they close you down and won't give you access , then HELL, THAT becomes the story!!!!!!!!!

What on earth were they thinking????? Answer, they were NOT thinking. Just fucking LAZY.

If they had lost access to contradicta or rummy or wolfie or dickie or whoever became a regular on "Meet the Press", there were literally THOUSANDS of other sources, voices, talking heads, experts, activists, researchers, and more - and the entire population of available and informed liberals who were there, eager, willing, and READY - hell, ANXIOUS to testify and speak the truth!!!

But our side was totally shut out. Frozen out. Still seems to be true to some extent. Every time some lazy-ass booker speed dials john mccain to come back on for the 675,842nd time, that's another Dem/liberal/progressive voice that is frozen out once again.

[Jefferson23]

37. And you still suck on so many other levels....ack. n/t

[samsingh]

38. we were fing saying this then. too little and too late

[Generic Other]

39. They shouted us all down with vitriol and such a sense of superiority

tried to shove flag pins down our throats, told us to STFU, pretended we didn't exist, and when we yelled too loud (Moore and Rather come to mind), threatened to "necklace" or otherwise silence our voices. Called us unpatriotic. Destroyed or tried to destroy the reputations of the only honest voices who called them on their lies. They gave birth to a generation of conspiracy theorists, tea partiers, Cheneyistas who redefined "Truth, Justice and the American Way" to mean "We will fucking kill you for oil."

They were shills and snake oil salesmen. And they were played by their masters who brought them to heel like dogs. Now they are acting like they didn't get the talking points every damn day? They weren't aggressive enough? They were bootlickers! Wagging their tails waiting to be fed.

They should be wearing dunce caps in the public square.

[KoKo]

41. Well said...

and Judith Miller and others they used to report Propaganda.

[Generic Other]

43. Your memory of that time is undoubtedly similar to mine!

They printed vile outrageous propaganda, caused human suffering and misery on a massive scale at the bidding of a corrupt criminal government, and now they come forward with their "mea culpas" like meek little schoolgirls. I want them strung up by their thumbs next to their waterboarding buddies.

You don't get to come beg for forgiveness after you willfully destroy your own country.

[blkmusclmachine]

44. http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xap1/t51.2885-15/10661278_690549904368166_1036940458_a.jp

[rhett o rick]

46. That's behind us. Are you agressive enough to ask H. Clinton why she betrayed the country

and help Bush/Cheney sell the war? She wants to be our president, but she sold Democrats down the river and bowed to the boy King. How bad off are we to have her as our leading choice? Rhetorical question as she has Wall Street money, Goldman-Sachs money behind her.

[on point]

70. Yep. Only 3 choices in Iraq war crime for HRH: Complicit, Conned, Corrupt

There are no other options, and anyone of which disqualifies her for presidency in my book. I KNEW the WMD evidence was faked and the Iraq war crime a con. What's her excuse?? I have yet to hear a straight answer from her.

[rhett o rick]

72. She shares a heavy responsibility for the deaths of our troops and Iraqi people. She

helped sell the lies.

[mountain grammy]

47. Sorry we left all you anti war people hanging out there..

turns out you were right. Oh well, we're Americans and if there's one thing we excel at it's forgetting.

[WinkyDink]

48. I HATE this kind of crap. THEY KNEW THEN.

[Hekate]

49. KnR

[sakabatou]

52. NO SHIT!

[McKim]

53. How Painful!

This is not enough to atone for their moral crimes. As a 15 year Peace Activist who mourns this war and all its dead innocents, I think this is not enough. Those comfortable "news" people in their comfortable offices sent hundreds of thousands to their deaths and destroyed this country. Their moral and human rights crimes are monumental.

I cancelled my subscription in 2001 and have never looked back. The year the Iraq War started Judith Miller was invited to give the graduation speech at Barnard College where my daughter was attending. We wrote a letter to the Pres. but of course, Judith got to
speak anyway.

The crimes of the Grey Lady are deep and wide. Few women and men of honor there!

[KoKo]

54. Arrogant???...they allowed their reporters to LIE us into Iraq....

Blood is on their hands. They held back a story that could have changed the results of an election...2004. and more and much that we don't know and probably that wont ever know.. The WaPo in recent decades is not much better.

[arcane1]

56. What's this "enough" shit? They weren't aggressive AT ALL!!

[Mr Dixon]

61. SMH

Brought and paid for is more like

[Blue_Tires]

62. Of course this is the same Baquet that Greenwald smeared mercilessly

before taking over the top job at the NYT...Not holding my breath for an apology, though...

Baquet's comments actually shadow a much wider and uglier plague which has afflicted the journalism industry, but the public isn't ready to have that discussion yet....

[polynomial]

63. They knew the war was profiteering

The American citizen has with reluctance given the basic business men the potential to lead our government via a system known as lobbying. Our Constitution is honestly bent on a liberal theme written by liberals but seems to nurture a huge fault that develops greed that blinds good governance. The so called Conservative of today is a product a failed press.

Good government depends on a free press!

This system called Lobbying. The process of influencing public and government policy at all levels: federal, state, and local. Lobbying involves the advocacy of an interest, basically those who have money, rather than those who don’t. Plus the money that is channeled via commercial advertising can be used as a collection to control behavior.

It’s a sad state of actions where those of the press know that the revenue flowing through commercial advertisements supplies a good life for them at the expense of the American electorate. Money has been flying through the electromagnetic spectrum at light speed profiteering at levels not done before.

Here in this article that hits the core of the problem, however, we now know America may be nothing more than a money machine for elected officials and influenced by the world to manipulate the electorate.

This is exampled by Arab money which supports Isis and the Bin Laden cartel that are close friends to Bush and Cheney encouraging a perpetual war for perpetual profits and power that only results in fear, scams, grief, torture, mercenaries, in a secret history that perpetuates a constant survival on the edge of resilience.

That seems to be what we now witness as basic Islam…absolute belief, or cut your head off. The issue is they have been doing this for two millennium, and the American Press, and the Academic University system let it happen.

[Enthusiast]

67. If they were sincere. They would start

by questioning the entire 911 thing.

Why did Bush and Cheney testify together?

Why didn't Bush and Cheney testify under oath?

These two questions alone should raise the suspicions of the American people and any investigative journalist worthy of the name.

The fact that you will not do this proves that you are not the ones you claim to be.

That we as a nation swallow the entire 911 thing is just plain ridiculous.

Better yet they would go back and expose the theft of two presidential elections.

[samsingh]

68. the media was treacherous, corrupt, stupid, bullies, and many other things after 911

there were no limits, no integrity, nothing but subservience to bush and cheney and attacks on the left - that's what i recall.

[libodem]

69. Thank the Goddess

We have DU!

[img][/img]

[Baitball Blogger]

71. Begging for forgiveness should never be a fall back position

Not impressed.