NYT Public Editor Sides With Krugman

Two New York Times columnists, Paul Krugman and Andrew Ross Sorkin, found themselves in the middle of a very public disagreement earlier this week, and now the Times' public editor has weighed in, siding with the paper's Nobel Prize-winning economist. After Sorkin accused Krugman of supporting "nationalizing the entire banking system," Krugman shot back with a column headlined, "Andrew Ross Sorkin Owes Several People an Apology." Clark Hoyt writes in his Times blog, "One of these marquee columnists is right, and the other isn't—and The Times owes its readers an explanation." Hoyt concludes that Sorkin took Krugman's words out of context, writing, "a full and fair reading of the column where they appeared does not support the notion that he favored nationalizing the entire banking system." The paper's editors are reviewing whether a correction is necessary, and Krugman and Sorkin have had "very cordial" talks.