New York Times Admits to Poor Form on Shale Article

The New York Times has said that the article that linked shale gas development with activities comparable to the Enron scandal and as being a "Ponzi scheme," painted its subject with an "overly broad brush and didn’t include dissenting views from experts who aren’t entrenched on one side or another of the subject."

Arthur S. Brisbane, public editor  or or ombudsman of The New York Times, said that the June 26 article, “Insiders Sound an Alarm Amid a Natural Gas Rush, ” written by Ian Urbina, needed "more convincing substantiation, more space for a reasoned explanation of the other side and more clarity about its focus."

While the article challenged conventional thinking, Mr. Brisbane said that the article "went out on a limb, lacked an in-depth dissenting view in the text and should have made clear that shale gas had boomed."

Read Mr. Brisbane's Full Comments  HERE