Media responsibility

A couple discussions are going on in blogland about some major media coverage:

In the first case, Eric Boehlert in Media Matters disputes some coverage of John Kerry's speech refusing a second bid for the presidency: The press manufactures John Kerry's tears . According to Boehlert, several outlets reported Kerry 'choked up' about having to give up a campaign; but the transcript reveals Kerry "...was momentarily overcome with emotion when he noted that the misguided war in Iraq threatened to undo everything he had fought for since his return from Vietnam more than three decades ago.". Only the Chicago Tribune got it right:

As The Chicago Tribune's political blog, The Swamp, accurately noted, "It was when Kerry talked about coming home from Vietnam that he choked up."

In the second, much discussion over a New York Times report mentioning an Iraqi vet who claims he was spit on during Saturday's peace march in Washington. TPM Cafe analyzes the various interviews, comments, and reporting. More on Digby's blog; Media Matters questions the story too.
Both question why the Times did not mention that the veteran in question is a frequent commentator on Fox and was a guest of Dennis Hastert at the State of the Union speech; he's gained enough publicity to have his own Wikipedia entry.