Rumor: The Washington Post does journalism

An editor defends the paper for passing along false rumors that Obama is a Muslim.

Published December 5, 2007 1:39PM (EST)

Last week's Washington Post front-pager passing along rumors that Barack Obama is a Muslim -- and maybe even a "'Muslim plant' in a conspiracy against America"! -- may well have been, as the Columbia Journal Review's Paul McLeary says, "the single worst campaign '08 piece to appear in any American newspaper so far this election cycle."

But that's not the only honor the Post deserves.

Our award for "single worst excuse for shoddy campaign '08 journalism to be articulated by any employee of any American newspaper so far this election cycle" goes to the Post's assistant managing editor Bill Hamilton, who says the paper didn't bother to say that the rumors about Obama were false because "to me, a rumor is not true."


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

MORE FROM Tim Grieve


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

2008 Elections Barack Obama War Room Washington Post