The American Spectator

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The Spectacle Blog

Reading Seth Mnookin's book Hard News, I came across this passage about Howell Raines' indulgence of Judith Miller: "Raines had treated Miller -- like Patrick Tyler and Rick Bragg -- like a star. At one point soon after September 11, he personally instructed her to go out and 'win a Pulitzer.' What's more, Raines had effectively chased investigative editor Stephen Engelberg out of the paper; Engelberg, who had co-authored a book on biological warfare with Miller, was known as the one editor who had the knowledge and background to rein Miller in when she became excitedly insistent about whatever latest supposed scoop had been leaked to her."