NYT public editor says lack of Barghouti ID ‘risks credibility’ of paper

New York Times public editor Liz Spayd says the newspaper’s decision to run an op-ed over the weekend by jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti without identifying him as a convicted terrorist “risks the credibility” of the newspaper.

In her column, Spayd responds to the “rash” of responses from readers who claimed the Times distorted the characterization of Barghouti.

She says the Opinion section “need[s] to more fully identify the biography and credentials of authors, especially details that help people make judgments about the opinions they’re reading.”

How much should you know about Marwan Barghouti? More than you were told https://t.co/VwfMUGmUsn

— Liz Spayd (@spaydl) April 18, 2017

“I see no reason to skimp on this, while failing to do so risks the credibility of the author and the Op-Ed pages,” Spayd writes.

She says she is “pleased to see the editors responding to the complaints, and moving to correct the issue rather than resist it. Hopefully, it’s a sign that fuller disclosure will become regular practice.”

Yesterday, the Times issued a clarification to Barghouti’s op-ed, acknowledging the piece “neglected to provide sufficient context by stating the offenses of which he was convicted.”