I was disappointed to learn earlier this year that Bahman Baktiari, head of the University of Utah’s Middle East Center, had been accused of plagiarism. The University of Utah believed the evidence conclusive and after an investigation, dismissed him. Baktiari was author of the well-regarded Parliamentary Politics in Revolutionary Iran, perhaps the best political history of immediate post-revolutionary Iran, and while I do not understand his subsequent academic dishonesty, the University of Utah honors itself by making such behavior have a consequence.

Not so the New York Times. John Hinderaker at the always excellent Powerlineblog highlights a seriously flawed story written by Eric Lichtblau. Not only did Lichtblau get almost every fact wrong, but he also appears to have allegedly plagiarized (an equally flawed) piece over at Think Progress. The New York Times may lament the decline in its readership across the political spectrum. Its willingness to place politics over ethics may explain why even many liberals recognize the Grey Lady is a shadow of its former self.