Thursday, December 21, 2006

NYT: I Cover The Canapes

As you trudge through this morning's New York Times, searching in vain for something other than what used to be euphemistically termed 'the society page,' you find it, re: Iraq, on page A14, all five paragraphs, no byline (other than "By The New York Times"), entitled "114 Iraqis Dead in Baghdad" and buried in the bottom, right hand corner. [It's tacked on, online, to this article about the ceremonies -- martial arts exhibition! -- for the supposed handover of Najaf.]

114 is their (modest) count. You might think that would qualify as "news" but you'd be wrong.
Instead, it's something to be tucked away. If Claudette Colbert and Ben Lyon had made a film about a reporter for today's New York Times, it would be entitled I Cover The Canapes.

P.S. This [PDF format] report still goes unmentioned. Possibly Chatham House thought cold cuts made for a good spread?

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