Readers who have questions about the Times' McCain story--like "Huh?"--can apparently email them to the editors:
A recent New York Times article examined a number of decisions by Senator John McCain that raised questions about his judgment over potential conflicts of interest. The article included reporting on Mr. McCain’s relationship with a female lobbyist whose clients often had business before the Senate committee led by Mr. McCain. Since publication of the article, The Times has received over 2,000 comments, many of them criticizing the handling of the article. Editors and reporters who worked on the article will be answering questions on Friday. Please send yours to askthetimes@nytimes.com.
Thanks to Tom Maguire for the tip.
Megan, Times "editors and reporters" answer questions about their pieces with the same slick duplicity they use to write them. Better to just tell them where to go and leave it at that. I emailed this to about 100 Times staffers yesterday.
PLEASE FORWARD TO THE HONORABLE JOHN MCCAIN
Dear Senator McCain:
The Times is a slimy creature, spawned in the sewers around Forty-Deuce and living on its belly in two inches of good NYC water. At some point, it was crossbred with a big city rat, so it carries disease and thrives on filth too.
If you're going to respond to every fairy tale they print about you, prepare to waste a lot of valuable time. If you spat on the sidewalk when you were a boy, or shouted too loud under torture - or someone says you did - expect to read about it on page one, and the next day on the editorial page. You see, now that you have a good shot at the White House you're not just another solon from the flyover anymore. You're a threat to abortions, sophisticated degeneracy, and ridding G-d and pride from our country - in other words, a threat to The Times way of life.
Senator, I'm not sure how familiar you are with NYC, but the part of town they named for The Times has always been synonymous with whores, peep shows, crime and sleaze. Thanks to your pal, Rudy, that's improved. But The Times never forgave him because it made Sulzberger feel out of place.
Here's another thing you may not be aware of, senator, and it's a mistake a lot of politicians make. You reckon all the movers and shakers read The Times, but you forget, outside of a few old lefties waiting for lox at Zabars, they're the only people left who do.
Here's the best advice I can give you. Eyes forward, stand up straight, advance steadily, go over their heads and talk directly to the people. Then, do what I did: cancel your subscription.
Best Wishes,
Dan Friedman
NYC