In case you missed it, the Scott Thomas Beauchamp saga finally came to an end over the weekend. Four and a half months after the WWS first raised questions about the New Republic‘s pseudonymous Baghdad Diarist, TNR editor Franklin Foer retracted the soldier’s three pieces in a 7,000 word apologia (in which he never apologizes!–not to his readers, nor to his critics, whom he attacked and derided, but who were right, nor to the troops) culminating in this definitive conclusion:
There’s been a lot of interesting, and amusing, commentary about Foer’s piece, but first read should go to Bob Owens over at Pajamas Media. Owens has been dogged in investigating this story, and even managed to expose MoveOn’s sweetheart deal with the New York Times in his spare time. The guys at Hot Air read the piece so you don’t have to, and there’s more from Michelle including some of the best reactions from TNR’s own readers. Jules Crittenden hopes that something good might come from all this for the editors at TNR, and Powerline offers an excellent response in just under 80 words (the latest Beauchamp inspired parody can be found here). Update: Gawker picks apart TNR’s retraction and ends with what I think is a striking comparison to the apology offered at the end of the Glass scandal:
Update II: The Observer lands an exclusive interview with Foer:
