This quote from former New York Times public editor Daniel Okrent pretty much says all you need to know about modern newsrooms :
“I also believe that columnists are entitled by their mandate to engage in the unfair use of statistics, the misleading representation of opposing positions, and the conscious withholding of contrary data.”
Regardless of whether you think this applies to Krugman or not, this is a stunning admission that I’d imagine is pretty standard for the gatekeepers in publishing and television news. Why else would hacks like Sean Hannity or Bob Novak remain employed if it weren’t for the fact that the people in charge of protecting the integrity of their news organizations had decided that pundits in lofty positions are entitled to mislead the public.