Someone should tote up all the "corrections," "retractions," and "editor notes" posted in the New York Times and other major media during the last 2 1/2 years and then add up the errata from the 2 1/2 years prior to that. My guess is that compared to the time period before Trump became president, it will be no contest.

The latest "fake news" story from the Times involves a casual smear of UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Apparently, some clever, young reporter got a tip that Haley was living in an apartment in the city and spent $52,000 on curtains. Oh, the humanity! Oh, the shame! 

Uh-oh. 

PJ Media:

"Nikki Haley's View of New York Is Priceless. Her New Curtains? $52,701." the original headline screamed, complete with a featured picture of Haley at the United Nations. The original version of the article is unavailable, but a screenshot captured by the Washington Post's Aaron Blake revealed that the Times had substantially altered the article after receiving hefty criticism.

"An earlier version of this article and headline created an unfair impression about who was responsible for the purchase in question," a lengthy editor's note explains. "While Nikki R. Haley is the current ambassador to the United Nations, the decision on leasing the ambassador's residence and purchasing the curtains was made during the Obama administration, according to current and former officials. The article should not have focused on Ms. Haley, nor should a picture of her have been used. The article and headline have now been edited to reflect those concerns, and the picture has been removed."

Was it realy an "unfair impression" the article created? That would be an understatement. It was a smear. It was reporting news that either revealed an extraordinary incompetence on the part of Times editors and "fact checkers" who allowed the story to run without doing much in the way of confirmation, or it was just one more effort by the "paper of record" to feed a particular narrative about the Trump administration; i.e., rich Trump cronies getting fat at the taxpayer's expense. 

"A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on," the old saying goes. And no one knows this better than editors and reporters at the New York Times. Their "editor's note" is a useless exercise, as was any other correction they've tried to make about Trump and the administration over the last 2 years. With information travelling literally at the speed of light, the lie was disseminated and took root in the leftist echo chamber long before any acknowledgement of error. The correction is pro forma - hardly worth reading except by students of history who may want to examine the anatomy of a smear.

Amusingly, a member of congress called for an "investigation" into spending by Haley.

This is not okay. As a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I call on @HouseForeign Chairman @RepEdRoyce to hold an oversight hearing on @StateDept spending on @nikkihaley and her deputy. https://t.co/c2ipX1s79d

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 14, 2018

Lieu has yet to remove the tweet.