June 3, 2013 --

LPR thinks The New York Times omitted all of the news fit to print to make its first news story on the IRS-Lois Lerner-Tea Party matter perfectly clear.

In its first story, May 11, on IRS targeting of Tea Party groups for "special scrutiny," The New York Times indicated that IRS Exempt Organizations division director Lois G. Lerner spoke to "reporters on a conference call." It took a week for the Times to report that Ms. Lerner had acknowledged the targeting of conservatives by means of a question that had been planted at an ABA tax section meeting in Washington. Was that meeting transmitted to reporters via smartphones? Did Ms. Lerner have a conference call with reporters in addition to responding to the planted question? LPR would like to know.

The headline for the first Times story about Tea Party targeting by the IRS, stated: "I.R.S. Apologies to Tea Party Groups over Audits of Applications for Tax Exemption".

The article reported that Lois Lerner "told reporters," by means of the aforementioned "conference call," "'we're apologetic.'"

LPR would note that apologetic is an adjective, not a noun or verb. The Times did not point to an apology from Ms. Lerner to anyone, nor did the Times
report that Ms. Lerner had apologized to anyone. Where, then, is the apology? Here, too, LPR would like to know.