TPM has a right to raise hackles about this as a partisan media outlet. But at some point, shouldn’t a fair media critic (say, one aligned with a university media program) do a open assessment of all of the major media outlets and their coverage beyond what TPM could cover?

My chance I came across more information tonight. The NYT editorialized on this today, and called the McCain ad false. The NewsHour ran an in-depth segment into the issue, and the assessment was that McCain’s attack was unfair. They also pointed out that George Stephanopolous had grilled McCain about it on Sunday.

My sense is that you perceive the objectivity of newspapers to be stridently neutral and weak-willed. I see them being coy. They don’t call things false, at least not right away, in order to keep readers on their toes.