What does this tell us about the press?

Submitted by Irvin J. Farber (United States), Feb 6, 2003 at 21:26

Mr. Pipes cited various newspapers, including college papers as the sources of the information he used in his comments. The excerpts printed indicate that he did not misrepresent what was said. There is no indication of willful distortion by the press.
What does that tell us the next time we pick up a newspaper or open a magazine? What do we believe? True, mistakes can be made, but these were of substance and not of detail.
This is most disconcerting. If a person as well informed and steeped in the topic as Mr. Pipes can be misled, what chance do the rest of us have?

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