NY Times' Hoyt misses mark with defense of Blumenthal hit piece

As promised, New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt responded today to the mounting criticism the paper has received for its article on Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's description of his military service. First, credit where credit is due, Hoyt does criticize the Times' hit piece on several fronts; given the fervor with which the paper has defended the story over the past week, Hoyt's acknowledgement that critics are correct on a number of points seems quite significant: Were there flaws in the story? Yes: It should have said more about how it originated; it should have provided mitigating information far higher; it should have noted that his official biography was accurate. The full video should have been posted so readers could make their own judgments. That said, Hoyt's column also ignores several key pieces of information that have come to light since the original story went to press, and even promotes a key falsehood that the Times' PR staff has used in defending the piece.