The Wall Street Journal and Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn

It was with some trepidation that the Dismal Political Economist opened the Wall Street Journal to read about the arrest of IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.  While he expected the Journal to meets it usual high standards in its reporting on the story, he was concerned about what the editorial position might be.

Well, the expectations of the reporting were more than met.  The Journal’s regular reporters wrote a clear, understandable and complete account of the alleged crime, and their reporting rendered the proper judgments without being judgmental.  It was journalism at its finest.

The lead editorial, was however, a complete surprise. 

 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703509104576325063887222334.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

Instead of apologizing for and to Mr. Strauss-Kahn, the editorial was a strong condemnation of the Managing Director and the IMF, not only for the current problems but for this history of problems involving that gentleman and his employment with the IMF.  Like the stories, the Journal editorial was one of the finest examples of journalism at its best.

The Dismal Political Economist is well known for his antipathy to the politics and opinions of the WSJ, but in this case that newspaper deserves credit and praise from friend and foe alike.