NYT -- Don't Piss Us Off.

James Taranto - Best of the Web

In a long--no, make that looooong--profile of Bill Keller, executive editor of the New York Times, New York magazine reveals his response to the Bush administration's criticism of his paper for publicizing a program for tracking terror finances:

"They pissed me off," he says. "I think the administration is genuinely distressed that we ran the story over their objections. I think they were embarrassed by it, by the fact that this most secretive of administrations has so much trouble keeping its secrets. I think they were probably sincere in their anxiety that publicizing this program might jeopardize it. And, you know, that's all fair, but when they stir up a partisan hatefest and impugn your integrity and patriotism, that is, to borrow a word from the White House list of talking points, disgraceful."

So Keller acknowledges that concern about jeopardizing the program--and thus increasing the risk of terrorist attacks--is "fair," but apparently does not acknowledge that the Times has any responsibility to withhold information that would jeopardize Americans.

Further, it's amazing how thin-skinned people in the media can be. The Times criticizes the administration all the time. Why shouldn't the administration fire back? If the press assumes for itself an "adversarial" role vis-à-vis the government, it seems only natural that the government would act like an adversary.