How many Acorn offices did these guys actually visit in total? How many times were they able to get advice from Acorn staffers, and how many times were the filmers reported to authorities?
I totally agree that we need more investigations like this, and that this investigation certainly seems to have uncovered some interesting stuff, but I also get the feeling like there are some pieces from the story that are missing, and I wonder a little if that isn't maybe a general problem when these kinds of sting operations are carried out by activists with a strong political agenda.
Interestingly, this is what the New York Times itself has to say on the matter (and I think it's at least commendable that they acknowledge their shortcomings on what, in the very least, was a newsworthy story):
"But for days, as more videos were posted and government authorities rushed to distance themselves from Acorn, The Times stood still. Its slow reflexes — closely following its slow response to a controversy that forced the resignation of Van Jones, a White House adviser — suggested that it has trouble dealing with stories arising from the polemical world of talk radio, cable television and partisan blogs. Some stories, lacking facts, never catch fire. But others do, and a newspaper like The Times needs to be alert to them or wind up looking clueless or, worse, partisan itself."
I, too, hope that there will be more disclosure on the story as they are fairly serious allegations and it would be helpful to know the sample sizes of the report - but what I find surprising is how non-curious those like the NYT were - and they're admitting as much.
They seem to have entirely ignored the story or attacked those doing the reporting as opposed to digging up facts for themselves. This reinforces the point not only that we need more investigations like this but that we can't rely on traditional media outlets for these stories. As the NYT notes, sure, sometimes these stories just turn out to be unsubstantiated polemics - but that doesn't necessarily make them wrong.
I totally agree that we need more investigations like this, and that this investigation certainly seems to have uncovered some interesting stuff, but I also get the feeling like there are some pieces from the story that are missing, and I wonder a little if that isn't maybe a general problem when these kinds of sting operations are carried out by activists with a strong political agenda.