The Atlantic/McCain Photos And What They Really Show

Megan McArdle on the Atlantic/Jill Greenberg photo nonsense:

Magazines have to extend their writers and photographers a great deal of trust. The editors can’t follow people around to make sure that they don’t make up quotes or stage photographs, any more than the department chair can follow around historians to ensure that they do accurate research. Occasionally, writers like Stephen Glass or Jayson Blair, or photographers like Jill Greenberg, violate that trust. But that isn’t because the editors lack integrity, or endorse their reprehensible actions. In cases like this, all a magazine can do is refuse to employ Ms. Greenberg again–a course that I suspect will be followed by any magazine with integrity.

As best I can tell, Megan, the problem here is systemic; The Atlantic has been left leaning for  longer than you’ve been writing for them. I understand, of course why you’d not want to say that,but think, now… put a left leaning photographer from a left leaning mag, out on any Republican…  and what does anyone with two braincells to rub together suppose the outcome will be, huh?

Look, even leaving aside the images she put up at her own website, I suggest that in terms of what The Atlantic wanted, Greenberg did exactly what she was expected to. Witness, please;  The Atlantic saw the photos and put them in the layout, anyway, not asking for a re-shoot. This makes their practiced denials at The Atlantic out as the lies they are.

And her bragging about the dirty tricks strikes me as in keeping with what we’ve seen out of the left.. she thought… correctly… that she’d be getting accolades this morning, if not from her employer, from her fellows on the left.  This kind of juvie nonsense is what passes for critical thinking among the alums of DU, KOS, and so on.

As Shannon Love over at Chicago Boyz… (A site I really have to watch more closely)  says, and corectly:

Politics is an ugly business and dirty tricks abound. Individuals from every part of the political spectrum stoop to low tactics to win. What we see on the contemporary far Left, however, is a lack of shame about doing so and complete unwillingness to punish those who go too far.

We should worry if that mindset really does gain power.

Indeed.

(Edit for clarity, Bit)