Back on November 1st, Arianna Huffington
detailed a power struggle going on at the NY Times between everybody basically against publisher Arthur Sulzberger about Judy Miller's future. Arianna detailed that there were actual strategy sessions on how to bring back Judy Miller without leading to a staff revolt.
Tonight, Matt "Sludge" Drudge is reporting that Judy Miller has told close friends that she is going back to work at the NY Times on Monday.
(more on the flip)
I wouldn't trust Drudge by himself, but Arianna Huffington has been all over this story. It appears that Miss Runamuck, the Queen of all Iraq, is back in the saddle again. My reaction: Sorrow.
For some reason, I still held out hope for the NY Times. It was the leading light in the fishwrap business, and deservedly so. The NY Times has been perhaps irrevocably destroyed credibility wise if this is true. She lied to her editor, lied to the paper, had amnesia on the stand, her reporting was horrendous, and she is back to work? How? It's not an ironic or sardonic question. I want to know how the NY Times believes that it can remain a credible institution with Judy Miller given free reign to do the voodoo that she does.
I wish there was more anger here, but the sorrow is overwhelming. Knight-Ridder is possibly being broken up, the Post has been spotty, and now this debacle will continue unabated. Perhaps NY'ers should hold a funeral for the paper, some street theater. For goodness sakes quit your subscriptions. To paraphrase Samuel Clemens, "Quit buying the paper, it only encourages them".