DNC ENLISTS TIMES REPORTERS IN P.R. CAMPAIGN

Today's New York Times ventures into the blogosphere and, SURPRISE! stumbles badly. While the headline, "Wal-Mart Enlists Bloggers in P.R. Campaign," might lead the sympathetic reader to the conclusion that the retailing giant has secretly put a bunch of bloggers on the payroll, the truth is rather different.

It seems that Wal-Mart sends out press releases (no novelty there), seeks to distribute them to recipients who might lend a sympathetic ear (the shame!), and thereafter hopes for a favorable story.

All of which leads NRO's Media Blog to wonder what the Times counts as "enlistment," and suggests that it's something like "gets story ideas from press releases, generally sympathetic to organization's goals."

So when might we expect the big investigative piece headlined:

DNC ENLISTS NYT REPORTERS IN P.R. CAMPAIGN