The New York Times Company

At the beginning of the 21st century, however, the Times also faced criticism for some of its coverage. A series of articles implicating Chinese American scientist Wen Ho Lee in espionage led to the Times’s admission in 2000 that some of its coverage lacked a tone of journalistic detachment. The admission followed Lee’s exoneration on espionage accusations. Then in 2003 the Times revealed that one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, had fabricated most of his stories. The revelation led to the forced resignation of the Times’s two top editors.

In 2004 the Times issued another self-criticism for its coverage of issues relating to the alleged production of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The existence of such weapons was the main reason given by the administration of U.S. president George W. Bush for invading Iraq in 2003. In a statement to readers, the editors of the Times said the newspaper’s coverage “was not as rigorous as it should have been.” As a result, the Times reported “misinformation” from Iraqi exiles concerning the existence of such weapons, the statement said. The Times’s statement said the editors should have challenged their reporters for verification. Most of the articles cited by the Times in its self-criticism were written by reporter Judith Miller, and one was coauthored by Miller and reporter Michael Gordon. More than a year after the U.S. invasion, no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq. See also U.S.-Iraq War.