Monday, October 17, 2005

Stop the Presses! Times Acknowledges Road Map!

Someone pinch me. Am I dreaming, or did I actually read the following in a story by Greg Myre posted this afternoon on the New York Times website:

Mr. Abbas is trying to build support for a resumption of full-scale negotiations based on the Middle East peace plan, known as the road map.
But Israel has demanded that Mr. Abbas break up the armed Palestinian factions, as called for in the road map.
This is the first time in recent memory in which the Times has actually reported that any Middle Eastern country other than Israel has any obligations under the Road Map for Peace. Usually, in the Times and the rest of the media, Palestinian obligations to dismantle terrorist groups are reported as "Israeli demands" or "US demands." It is a phenomenon I have discussed many times, most recently here and here.

So who knows? Maybe the Times is finally learning to read. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Oops! The reference to the Road Map was a boo-boo, and was pulled by sharp-eyed Times editors in New York. Hey, they don't call them "trained observers" for nothing! Gotta protect that Template!