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We Goofed on Petraeus Attack Ad: Times Editor

Public editor takes paper to task on 'personal' attack

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 24, 2007 4:13 AM CDT
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(Newser) – The public editor of the New York Times slammed the newspaper yesterday for violating its own policies when it ran the now notorious "General Betray Us" ad. The ad, placed by MoveOn.org, was a personal attack on General Petraeus, which is prohibited by the Times standards for acceptable ads, the editor wrote in a column in the paper.

"The ad violated the Times' own written standards and the paper now says that the advertiser got a price break it was not entitled to," wrote public editor Clark Hoyt. He explained MoveOn was erroneously charged $64,575, less than half the appropriate rate. MoveOn says it will pay the higher rate.

Gen. David Petraeus testifies on the future course of the war in Iraq, while appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington in this Sept. 11, 2007 file photo. In another sign of U.S. struggles in Iraq, the target date for putting Iraqi authorities in...
Gen. David Petraeus testifies on the future course of the war in Iraq, while appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington in this Sept. 11, 2007 file photo. ...   (Associated Press)
Gen. David Petraeus speak during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Gen. David Petraeus speak during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)   (Associated Press)
Clark Hoyt, Public Editor, New York Times
Clark Hoyt, Public Editor, New York Times
New York Times
New York Times   ((c) mlcastle)
Newsroom at The New York Times
Newsroom at The New York Times   ((c) cheesebikini)
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