It’s been ten years since Judith Miller left the New York Times, after her reports that Saddam Hussein had built or acquired weapons of mass destruction in Iraq were discredited. On Friday, in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, she sought to correct what she calls “false narratives” about her Iraq coverage. “The newsworthy claims of some of my prewar WMD stories were wrong,” Miller wrote. “But so is the enduring, pernicious accusation that the Bush administration fabricated WMD intelligence to take the country to war.” The timing of this article is probably no coincidence: Miller’s new book, The Story: A Reporter’s Journey, will be published tomorrow by Simon & Schuster.
In the latest New Yorker, well-known bird-lover Jonathan Franzen denounces decisions made in the construction of the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium: The stadium’s glass exterior is expected to result in the death of thousands of birds each year, and sponsors have refused to use a patterned glass that would result in fewer bird deaths. The article is also critical of the Audubon Society: “In recent decades, it’s been better known for its holiday cards and its plush-toy cardinals and bluebirds, which sing when you squeeze them.” Now, the Audubon Society is calling Franzen’s article “an act of extreme intellectual dishonesty.”
Tonight, Yo La Tengo performs and Dorothy Lasky MCs at the book party for Amber Tamblyn’s new poetry collection, Dark Sparkler.
Sabrina Rubin Erdely, who wrote the now-discredited Rolling Stone feature about an alleged gang rape at a UVA fraternity house, has apologized for her report. “I hope that my mistakes in reporting this story do not silence the voices of victims that need to be heard.”
Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who is serving a thirty-five-year sentence for her release of confidential government documents, is now Tweeting from prison.