But they are also aimed at history. If factual news reports on the pager and walkie-talkie attacks are the first rough draft of history, then revisionism by less scrupulous journalists are a malicious attempt at a second draft.
The New York Times twice relayed misinformation by Palestinian leaders about the meaning of last-minute edits to President Truman's letter recognizing Israel. The second time it did so, it left readers in the dark.
The International Herald Tribune, published by the New York Times, has taken a page from the Times' book of journalistic wrongdoing. The Times earlier distorted the Bush Administration's decision to not pressure Sharon about West Bank settlements, and now the Tribune falsely claims that the Bush-Sharon meeting yesterday was "intended to press Sharon to move . . . on the West Bank."