http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB7KWMQCFE.htmlTimes Publisher: Paper Was Slow in Correcting Coverage About WMD and Iraq; Many Share BlameBy Michael Weissenstein Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. said Friday that the newspaper was far too slow in correcting its reports indicating Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but the blame did not lie entirely with Judith Miller, the author of many of the stories.
In a speech to the Online News Association, Sulzberger also defended Miller's decision to go to jail to protect the identity of her source, vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Miller was released last month after agreeing to testify to the grand jury that indicted Libby on Friday on charges of obstruction of justice, making a false statement and perjury.
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In his address, Sulzberger said the failure not to quickly correct the Iraqi weapons reports rested also with the Times' many editors.
"It was an institutional failure. We didn't own up to it quickly enough," he said. "The story is not over."
Asked after the speech whether he was referring to ongoing developments in Washington or the status of Miller's relationship with the Times, he said he left that deliberately ambiguous and preferred not to be more specific.
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Editor and Publisher's coverage of the same speech:http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001391805Sulzburger Addresses Judy Miller Controversy, Stresses Ethics in Journalism at ONA Conference By Jay DeFoore
Published: October 28, 2005 12:57 PM ET
NEW YORK New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzburger Jr. laid out the company's vision for restoring trust and ethics in journalism Friday at a speech before the Online News Association's annual convention in New York. Sulzburger, speaking at a time when his newspaper is yet again facing scrutiny over its reporting, also gamely took questions regarding the Judy Miller controversy from journalists in the audience.
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5) Journalistic ethics must be upgraded. Speaking of journalistic fabricators Janet Cook, Stephen Glass, and "our own Jayson Blair," Sulzburger said too often journalists lose sight of their primary responsibility, which is simply "to tell the truth."
6) Strong, ethical values should be adopted across all media. Speaking of the Internet and the blogosphere, which he referred to as an "immense group of writers who adhere to a wide range of standards," Sulzburger said, "fairness and accuracy separates the best of mainstream media from bloggers."
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A final question, and one no doubt on many minds at the convention, asked Sulzburger whether the increasingly powerful Google is a "friend or foe" of mainstream media organizations. While Sulzburger admitted that the search giant is a "huge partner" with The New York Times and especially About.com, he noted that the company's latest forays into advertising and possibly classifieds shows that it is simply "going to go with the market leads them. And I don't blame them for that. … We have to get there before others do, and shame on us if we don't."
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