'Wash Post' Political Editor Hits Domenech Web Hiring
John Harris wonders why Ben Domenech was hired in the first place:
'Wash Post' Political Editor Hits Domenech Web Hiring: NEW YORK: In one of his regular online chats today, Washington Post national political editor John F. Harris criticized the paper's Web site for hiring short-lived "Red America" blogger Ben Domenech, pointing out, among other things, his lack of credentials. Here is the entire exchange, kicked off by a reader's question.
Dayton, Ohio: Why did The Post feel the need to create a partisan conservative blog? It gives the appearance of pandering to the party in power. The criticism of Froomkin from within The Post gives the same appearance... that the editors at the Post are pandering to the demands of those in power. Is that responsible journalism?
John F. Harris: Lots of questions on this topic. From my vantage point in the Post newsroom--which is separate from washingtonpost.com--the Domenech hiring was unfortunate, even before the uproar over plagiarism allegations. I think getting some conservative voices over there is a good thing, but I did not see why they hired someone so young and without obvious credentials, journalistic or otherwise. I think the most useful opinion blogs analyze and comment on the news from some well-grounded perspective. That is what Dan Froomkin does, and Dan is a long-time journalist. There's enough people on the web already just popping off from a strictly ideological perspective. I don't think washingtonpost.com adds much value by providing a platform for another.
I have expressed concern previously about Froomkin's column on a different score. People often assume from the column's title, "White House Briefing," that he is one of the Post's White House correspondents. He is not. He is an opinion commentator hired by post.com, and one of the more popular features on the web site. We would not let a White House news reporter write an opinion column, which was why this widespread confusion concerns me. In any event, Dan Froomkin and Domenech are miles apart in their credentials, and the authority they bring as commentators. I write all this not to gratuitously pile on post.com, which has already moved on from the Domenech matter, but because I think readers should know that there are distinctions both the paper and Web site observe between news and opinion, and between the main newspaper and certain features that post.com carries independently.
Having said that, the paper and the web operation work together often and well. (These chats are one example) Jim Brady, the editor there, is the best in the business, to my mind, and the growing popularity of the Web site suggests a lot of readers agree. He and his staff believe in experimentation, and that means occasionally there will be an experiment that does not work out. I think they should keep looking to bring more commentators over there, including some conservative voices to add to several who (while not being predictable or dogmatic) generally tilt in a liberal direction.
