http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/016183.php
The Retraction At The Tank
A couple of commenters on the latest TNR thread wonder whether we will
hold National Review Online's The Tank to the same level of scrutiny as
Franklin Foer and Scott Beauchamp. I had not actually heard about this
controversy until I read the comments last night. Michelle Malkin covers
this topic, though, and issues some rather scathing criticisms while
noting the completely different approaches between TNR and NRO:
W. Thomas Smith, Jr., a former Marine and milblogger who writes at
National Review Online’s The Tank (and whose work in Iraq I’ve praised
and linked to here), posts a long-winded defense of bogus, shoddy
reporting he published while he was in Lebanon earlier this fall. It’s
painful to read because he takes nearly 1,400 words to get to the main
points:
1) He claimed he had seen “some 200-plus heavily armed Hezbollah
militiamen” at a “sprawling Hezbollah tent city” when, in fact, he hadn’t
seen 200-plus heavily armed Hezbollah militiamen.
2) He reported that 4,000-5,000 Hezbollah gunmen had been “deployed
to the Christian areas of Beirut in an unsettling ‘show of force,’” when,
in fact, there is no evidence that a deployment of 4,000-5,000 Hezbollah
gunmen to Christian areas of Beirut ever took place.
As you read the explanation, ask yourselves this: If Thomas Beauchamp
had written it instead of Thomas Smith, would you buy it?
Kathryn Lopez, to her credit, immediately disclosed the controversy
to readers. Contrary to the TNR editors, she thanked the reporter who
first questioned Smith’s account, instead of trashing critics.
Every publication eventually makes a big enough error to warrant a
retraction and an apology. Even here at CapQ, I've had to do it a few
times, and believe me, it never feels good. One has to resist the urge to
rationalize mistakes and spin enough to avoid admitting error. Just as
with customer service, where I often described my management position as
"professional apologizer", editors have to bite the bullet and admit
error to maintain organizational credibility.
Kathryn Jean Lopez did so here. Notice that she did not blame the critics
for pointing out the error or assume that the criticism was motivated by
some sort of conspiracy. She didn't, in essence, blame the customer for a
faulty product. She took quick action to investigate, found obvious
shortcomings, and issued an apology and a detailed accounting of the
problem.
Had Franklin Foer done that when the story fell apart at TNR, he could
have not just saved the magazine from a credibility collapse, he could
have enhanced its standing. Instead of acting professionally, he assumed
the Nixonian posture that anyone questioning TNR's product must
automatically be an enemy against whom all defenses were necessary.
Instead, even in an apology, he couldn't help blaming the customers for a
shoddy product.
Incidentally, I share Michelle's analysis of the failure at The Tank. It
was poor work, and it has been highlighted as such. NRO's response has
been appropriate and substantial.
--
Fred Stone
aa# 1369
Liberal: a power worshipper without power. - George Orwell
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