In a well-run newspaper with high ethical standards, Bill Keller would have been fired as soon as he openly admitted lying to readers. Of course, there is no real danger of that at the moment with "Pinch" running the paper into the ground. Still, judging by reader letters on the subject, Keller's days are very numbered. (I still hold out hope that my often repeated prediction that Keller would be gone by the end of summer will come true. Sadly, with Sulzberger staying completely mum on Keller's misconduct, it may well take until the shareholders force the issue by throwing Pinch under the bus.) Just one sample of the way readers responded:
Bill Keller took it upon himself to influence the election by withholding the story of the administration’s illegal eavesdropping. Afterward, when called on it, he apparently lied about the timeline. Now he minimizes the lying by calling his language “inelegant.”
Yes, Mr. Keller, lying is inelegant.
Mr. Keller’s job as executive editor of The Times is not to influence elections. It is not to decide what is “fair” to politicians (especially after including in his consideration of “fairness” consultation with the very administration accused of illegal activities).
Mr. Keller’s job — specifically noted in our Constitution as a key safeguard of our democracy — is to provide accurate information to allow informed citizens to vote responsibly for the well-being of our country.
Jonathan Dixon
Santa Fe, N.M., Aug. 13, 2006
The criticism would appear to be bipartisan with just about everyone believing Keller committed a grave breach of ethics. I'd suspect it would be a good idea to update the old resume, Keller.
