… that Peter Baker’s a poor journalist.

See how easy it is? If you’re a “straight” (objective) journalist, if you want to editorialize, all you do is preface the comment with “critics say.”

Peter Baker takes it to new heights with his “The President as Average Joe“: “To many critics, such forums feel contrived, and the fratboy towel-snapping humor unbecoming.” What critics? What fratboy towel-snapping humor? Baker doesn’t even bother to gather anonymous quotes to support this. But he recites it as Conventional Wisdom. It’s probably the Conventional Wisdom of the White House Press Corps.

This stuff is properly run in Slate. Unfortunately for Baker, they already have that slot filled: John Dickerson.

Maybe Michael Kinsley is right: objectivity in the news is an illusion at best. Opinion journalism is more honest because it doesn’t have to hide its point of view.