OF COURSE you have

Sometimes those questions elicit the very best answers!

I was under the impression that this was for a new story. But, no, this is around the story from

I still find this whole article kind of bewildering, but it's worth noting that her response to that question ended up being core to the piece! www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/a...

Yeah, that's just a patently bad question.

Her answer: Very good!

Right, that's a very good argument about why the story isn't worth running at all.

I'm keen to see the final story that comes out of this. Obviously it may still be horrible.

I get why she was offended by the question. But not asking it doesn't make the allegation go away, and failing to ask her about it does more to legitimize the claim than not.

If you ever find yourself targeted by a smear campaign, relish the opportunity to respond!

I know the counter-point is "it's a lie, you shouldn't print it in the paper." But the lie is also central to the smear campaign against her. How do you cover the campaign without mentioning the lie?

I'd say "how would you respond?" is better than "is that true?" but it's basically the same question.

The paper should quote her saying the allegation is "absurd" and "patently false." Those are strong quotes! If anything, she should have gone further!

This kind of question is really an invitation: 'Your critics say [lie about you], how do you respond to that?' It gives the source agency to defend themselves, instead of just leaving the paper to provide the boilerplate "the New York Times was unable to find financial evidence to support the claim"

This is a vibes-based opinion, but I get a sense that journalists are increasingly disinclined to put these kinds of questions to subjects of stories these days, because they're uncomfortable, awkward, and risk offense.

But the source should have a chance to address it directly!

you'll be getting an email from me

you guys have had a pretty good run of home rule, how about you let one of the colonies take over for a little while? we'll worry about governing and you all can enjoy some biscuits

Oh dang that's a good suggestion

Right? Trump has quickly become one of the largest holders of Bitcoin in America, his sons want to run the biggest mining operation in the U.S., and then U.S. government is apparently looking to hold 1 million BTC. Those are some big factors.

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