Finally, New York Times Public Editor Daniel Okrent shows us a bit of what he is made of.
In a column
available today in the New York Times online edition, Mr. Okrent sheds some light on a very tough ethical situation recently encountered by the paper and the New York Times Magazine.
It's an interesting article and well worth reading on its own accord. But at the bottom of the column, in an addendum on another topic, Mr. Okrent adds the following:
In my June 27 column, I described Nigel Hamilton's "Bill Clinton: An American Journey" as a "full-frontal attack." This characterization came from my reliance on a review by critic Michiko Kakutani. She may be right, but given that I've never read the book, it was stupid of me to characterize it with such glib surety.
Whoa.
Now that was easy, wasn't it? Okrent just rose a couple notches in stature in my eyes for 1) admitting his mistake, 2) accepting responsibility for it and 3) being willing to be humbled.
Let's see Judith Miller do the same.