Fox News Cites Times Watch's Story on Double Standards

Brit Hume led off his "Political Grapevine" by noting a Times Watch discovery: Two Times reporters who have appeared on Charlie Rose relayed personal opinions on the broadcast - but only the one who voiced a pro-Iraq war opinion, not the anti-Bush reporter, was admonished by the paper in print.

Fox News "Special Report" anchor Brit Hume led off his "Political Grapevine" segment Monday night by citing a piece that appeared that day on Times Watch, on the paper's double standard regarding the expressing of personal opinions on television.


Here's Hume: "A New York Times reporter has been rebuked by his superiors after voicing the hope that the U.S. can accomplish its goals in Iraq. Here's what Times chief military correspondent Michael Gordon said on the Charlie Rose show earlier this month, quote: 'As a purely personal view, I think it's worth it, one last effort for sure to try to get this right, because my personal view is we've never really tried to win. We've simply been managing our way to defeat. And I think that if it's done right, I think that there is the chance to accomplish something,' end quote. Times Public Editor Byron Calame writes that WashingtonBureauChief Philip Taubman said Gordon quote, 'stepped over the line' and quote, 'went too far.'


Timeswatch.com points out that last summer Times reporter Neil MacFarquhar appeared on the Rose show, and criticized Bush administration practice of sending bombs to the Middle East, saying the policy, quote, 'erodes and erodes and erodes America's reputation.' MacFarquhar received no reprimand for his comments."