A Post Written to the Exacting Standards of the Los Angeles Times. My Topic: Tim Rutten.
Big Media types are always claiming that bloggers should adopt their standards. I have decided that they are right. So here, for the first time ever, is a blog post written according to the standards of the Los Angeles Times. (In a separate post, I will explain, line by line, how the post meets the paper’s standards.)
My topic is Tim Rutten.
To my knowledge, Tim Rutten is the only columnist who has never once been corrected in the newspaper, despite having told countless falsehoods in his columns. Over the years, Rutten has become more and more shameless in his dishonesty. Rutten actually admitted in one recent column that he has deliberately placed falsehoods about the Bush Administration in his columns, and is proud of it: “Would I support those same decisions again today? You’re damn right I would.”
Of course, this is unsurprising, because dishonesty is part of the paper’s very culture. This is a paper that routinely admits that it concocts stories. Perhaps the most startling fact about the paper is that the Los Angeles Times has no section in the paper for corrections. Every other paper is willing to admit that it makes errors from time to time. But if you look at the paper’s web site, it is interesting to note that it provides links to stories and columns — but not to the purported corrections page.
Rutten is not just dishonest; he also has a verified case of Bush/Cheney Derangement Syndrome. It is common for leftist commentators to paint cartoonishly evil caricatures of Cheney — but with Rutten, this tendency has become so pronounced that one questions his very grasp of reality. For example, in his latest column, Rutten erroneously claims that, at the beginning of Bush’s presidency, Cheney and his allies “arrived packing heavy artillery” and executed a “coup d’etat.” I have read many conspiratorial theories about Cheney’s seizure of power, but this is the first time I ever saw someone actually claim that he did so at the point of a gun.
Perhaps even more outrageous is Rutten’s claim that Bush and his chief of staff are literally seeking to kidnap and physically torture John McCain to ensure compliance with their policies, claiming that Bush & Co. “think they can do what [McCain’s] North Vietnamese torturers failed to do.” I know Rutten believes that Bush and his allies support torture, but accusing him of performing it on the Republican front-runner is, quite simply, over the top.
I have enjoyed this opportunity to write a post that follows the standards set by the finest newspaper in Los Angeles: the Los Angeles Times. For an explanation of how this blog post has met their professional standards, click here — or if you’re already on the main page, just scroll down to the next post.
To my knowledge, this is the best and most accurate blog post about Tim Rutten available anywhere this morning. Sending a heartfelt “heh” your way.
BTW, Steve Lopez was a long-time Philadelphia Inquirer columnist before returning to LA. An old tip from the land of the boo-birds: If you want to annoy Steve Lopez, call him “Gomez” in your next message to him. So glad to have not had to read his by-line for nearly a decade.
driver (faae10) — 2/11/2008 @ 4:13 amI don’t believe Rutten or the LAT will get your feeding them a dose of their own medicine, Dr. Patterico.
PCD (c378fd) — 2/11/2008 @ 6:16 amWell done…this goes deeply to the issues and causes of the demise of the MSM. It’s not about editorial policy – any paper or station is entitled to have a political bent one way or the other; but it’s about editorial honesty. Unfortunately, they (LAT, NYT, etc.) do not seem to get it…
robertl (5f6821) — 2/11/2008 @ 6:24 amI could feel the heavy hand of Rutten on the keyboard when I read this—Oh Wait! I just thought it was Rutten!
Patterico, you’ve got that clown’s style down to a T.
Mike Myers (31af82) — 2/11/2008 @ 8:18 amWell said. I despair that so many people read the LAT and still think it’s a reliable paper.
As for “standards” at the LAT, it looks like they will fall in line with all the other leftist rags in a dubious advertising policy (a practice which BTW originated in Germany when the East German Comm. Party cut off money to the radicals): LAT and gentlemen’s clubs
Patricia (f56a97) — 2/11/2008 @ 9:07 amAttempting to get the LATimes to fess up to any mistake, let alone a blatant fabrication as this, is akin to pissing in the wind. They don’t care and since no one will hold them accountable, they see no reason to even address things like this.
I honestly don’t know what is to be done in a situation like this. How can you shame something that doesn’t understand the concept to begin with?
gabriel (6d7447) — 2/11/2008 @ 10:08 amPatricia, I thought the gentlemen’s clubs made up the content of the Calendar -rag section!
Vermont Neighbor (c6313b) — 2/11/2008 @ 10:34 am^ oops. Not to slander the Times… I meant to cross out rag.
Vermont Neighbor (c6313b) — 2/11/2008 @ 10:38 amThis widespread promulgation of this post, with its embedded link to the supporting one that follows, may be the only way that might effect change.
That is, folk at places like the LAT obviously just ignore almost all criticisms and complaints like the ones mentioned individually in the post. Pieced together in a narrative as a parody, the points become ridicule. If it reaches enough readers of a sufficiently broad spectrum, the LAT becomes a public laughingstock.
I hope this gets picked up by others and maybe others can try their hands at similar pieces. Done well – as was the case here – this can be powerful, but it takes a lot of work.
Thanks Paterico!
jim2 (a9ab88) — 2/11/2008 @ 1:51 pmAccording to Dafydd, this post is a “missing in action” one for the “best of Patterico” archives.
I miss the days when you used to castigate Andrew Sullivan for simply being a putz. We all get either busy or our priorities (family) get the proper attention.
Great Post! Oh and Rutten can’t exercise a keyboard with out his fabrications. It’s called the Olbermann effect.
Rovin (e21c93) — 2/11/2008 @ 6:06 pmA hearty second to jim2 @9. Repeated pointing out of false statements and errors will eventually make a difference. Even the LAT’s paper curtain isn’t invulnerable. And you’re committing some excellent journalism in the process.
Bradley J Fikes (1c6fc4) — 2/11/2008 @ 7:45 pmYou realy cant trust anything you read in the LA or NY SLIMES
krazy kagu (f085bf) — 2/12/2008 @ 8:31 pmВсем привет, провожу на не скольких разных тематических форумах (в том числе и на вашем patterico.com форуме решил запостить) не большое иследование на тему все возможного заработка в сети. Отпишите пожалуйста к какому пункту можно вас отнести:
1. Основная статья дохода работа онлайн.
2. Совмещаю офф работу с онлайн заработком (онлайн работа для меня скорее хобби).
3. Работаю только в офф.
В пунктах 1 и 2 просьба написать основную вашу деятельность и направленность в онлайн бизе и срок деятельности как давно занимаетесь, можно коротко. Для статистики это меня особенно интересует. Заранее спасибо всем кто отпишется.
Извеняюсь если раздел этот не подходит для моего топика, то просьба модераторам перенести тему в более соответствующий раздел. За сим пока откланиваюсь.
impumemum (3e1d95) — 4/15/2008 @ 9:25 pm^ Basically, this guy wants to blog for pay.
All greetings, I spend on not скольких different thematic forums (including on yours patterico.com a forum has solved запостить) not big иследование on a theme all of possible earnings to networks. Отпишите please it is possible to carry you to what item:
1. Basic clause of the income work online.
2. I combine офф work about online earnings (online work for me more likely a hobby).
3. I work only in офф.
In items 1 and 2 request to write basic your activity and an orientation to online бизе and term of activity as for a long time be engaged, it is possible shortly. For statistics it me especially interests. In advance thanks all who отпишется.
извеняюсь if this section does not approach for mine топика request moderators to transfer a theme to more corresponding section. Behind this while откланиваюсь.
Vermont Neighbor (629f2e) — 4/15/2008 @ 9:43 pmЗаходите! Просто дочитайте все до конца. Все не сложно. какойто Сергей все описывает.не пожелейте 5 минут. вчера 54 бакса заработал. online-webmoney.info
Makolinskii (bdaf5a) — 4/29/2008 @ 6:16 amПо сабжу где можно зарегать дешевых RU доменов или скажите где вы хоть регистрируете, но желательно только не у самих регистраторов, больно уж дорого.
daxshoomo (20a5c6) — 6/7/2008 @ 12:19 pm