Blunders all around

From the federal government to Mayor Menino to The Washington Post, everyone's tripping up today.

The New York Times follows up on a story first reported by AP about new complications in the Blackwater USA incident last month with a report that continues to raise questions not only about what happened in Baghdad but also about the role of American civilians in a U.S.-occupied foreign nation. The article begins by pointing out the uncertainty of what kind of immunity has been offered to potential witnesses and what this unauthorized designation means for any kind of upcoming prosecution. There does not seem to be any consensus yet about the legal consequences faced by those involved in the Blackwater incident, but the article raises various possibilities.

One of the many Boston Globe stories on the Red Sox Rolling Rally today has an excellent opportunity to take a jab at the mayor, but graciously declines. The brief article reports on Mayor Menino tripping down the stairs of a stage set up at Fenway Park--while holding the World Series trophy. The article takes great care to describe the Mayor's injury--a hyperextended knee--before reporting that yes, the trophy is in one piece, and you can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Very graceful.

FEMA missed the boat--again--with their feigned press conference last Friday, but The Washington Post also lacks transparency in its reportage of the latest news to follow that story. An article today states in the lede that FEMA's director of external communications was denied a new post because of his involvement in a press conference called 15 minutes in advance on Friday. The article does not expand on the Friday controversy--or even on the latest news of the denied position--until after a long digression about FEMA's missteps over the past year. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is there anyone in America who doesn't know that FEMA was criticized for the way they dealt with Hurrican Katrina? There are probably plenty of people outside the Washington press circles, though, who were not aware that Friday's press conference was a sham. I'm surprised at the way this article was structured, especially coming from The Post.