NYT Public Editor: Palin Cronyism Article "Never Made The Connection Between Style And Results"

The next morning, The Times took a look at Palin's political style as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, and as governor. The article was a largely negative portrayal of her as a remote, secretive executive who appoints schoolmates or other friends to state office, demands personal loyalty, pursues vendettas, fires officials who cross her and blurs the line "between government and personal grievance."

It began with a sweeping assertion: "Gov. Sarah Palin lives by the maxim that all politics is local, not to mention personal." Scott Blum of Atlanta said, "To justify stating this conclusion so forcefully in a front-page news article, the body of evidence had better be so compelling that most reasonable people would agree." But Blum found the article "largely one-sided" and unconvincing.

I think it presented a series of unflattering anecdotes, some confusing and incomplete, but never made the connection between style and results necessary to judge a politician who was overwhelmingly re-elected mayor and has an 80 percent approval rating as governor.

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