The purpose of this blog is not media criticism; we're happy to leave that to others. But I read a page one story in The New York Times today that was such a blatant fudge, that it's illustrative of how spin can find its way into even the most important international stories.

Titled "Rebuke in Iran To Its President On Nuclear Role," this story talked about how two "hard-line newspapers" had called on Iran's president to "stay out of all matters nuclear."

Here's the paragraph that got me scratching my head:

In the hazy world of Iranian politics, such a public rebuke was seen as a sign that the supreme leader -- who has final say on all matters of state -- might no longer support the president as the public face of defiance to the West.