In a fascinating retort by the left-leaning NYT to the story of the day, namely the CNN-BuzzFeed narrative based on an unverified 35-page memo allegedly prepared by a UK intelligence officer, even "the paper of record" takes the two media outlets to town, and in an article titled "BuzzFeed Posts Unverified Claims on Trump, Stirring Debate" essentially accuses them of doing what CNN has accused so much of the 'alternative media' in doing when distributing "fake news."
Here are the key excerpts:
The reports by CNN and Buzzfeed sent other news organizations, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, scrambling to publish their own articles, some of which included generalized descriptions of the unverified allegations about Mr. Trump. By late Tuesday, though,
only BuzzFeed had published the full document.
BuzzFeed’s decision, besides its immediate political ramifications for a president-elect who is to be inaugurated in 10 days,
was sure to accelerate a roiling debate about the role and credibility of the traditional media in today’s frenetic, polarized information age.
And the punchline, where the NYT essentially accuses both CNN and BuzzFeed of stooping to the level of "fake news" disseminators:
Of particular interest was the use of unsubstantiated information from anonymous sources, a practice that fueled some of the so-called fake news — false rumors passed off as legitimate journalism — that proliferated during the presidential election.
It then continues its scathing critique of what now passes as "journalism"
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-11/nyt-suggests-cnn-buzzfeed-peddled-fake-news
