The Bernard Kerik story is the gift that keeps on giving, with each day bringing another damaging revelation. The latest question is whether the illegal nanny — officially cited by both Kerik and the White House as the only reason for Kerik’s withdrawal — even existed.
A New York Times story today doesn’t settle the question. It does provide evidence that the Kerik camp is changing its story on the nanny, but the Times failed to do enough reporting to make that clear to readers.
Nina Bernstein and Robin Stein write:
[Kerik’s lawyer] Mr. Tacopina, who has also been fielding calls from the press on Mr. Kerik’s behalf, said he knows nothing about the nanny’s identity, the length of her employment or even her nationality, despite news reports that she was Mexican that were mistakenly attributed to him. [Emphasis ours.]
Tacopina’s claim that the nanny was Mexican first appeared in a December 12 Washington Post story by Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen. Referring to the mystery nanny, they wrote: “Tacopina … said she worked for Kerik for about 18 months and had returned to Mexico six weeks ago, in keeping with a plan she had for several months.”
Did the Post make a mistake? Vandehei told CJR Daily that Tacopina’s comments had been reported accurately: Tacopina did indeed tell the Post that the nanny had returned to Mexico.
That leaves two questions. First, why is Kerik’s lawyer changing his story? And second, why didn’t Bernstein and Stein go beyond “he said/she said” reporting — which leaves the reader with no idea who to believe — by doing what it took us thirty seconds to do: Ask Vandehei and Allen whether they had reported Tacopina’s comments accurately?
We’re willing to hazard a guess at the answer to that: Out of a misplaced sense of pride, reporters at the major dailies avoid using each other as sources, even when the story demands it. That’s a shame. Had the Times deigned to talk to the Post, they’d have had a much better story.
–Zachary Roth
Zachary Roth is a contributing editor to The Washington Monthly. He also has written for The Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, Slate, Salon, The Daily Beast, and Talking Points Memo, among other outlets.