Accountability

ACCOUNTABILITY....Liz Cox Barrett at the Columbia Journalism Review:

The Associated Press's Ron Fournier drops this little truism into the midst of his "analysis" piece today:

"A political attack doesn't need to be right to work..."

No, but one thing a political attack does need to work — whether it's right or wrong — is for reporters to give it a thorough airing, to ensure that it gets proper traction with voters. Which is what Fournier does with today's piece, headlined: "Analysis: Is Edwards Real or a Phony?"