Under the headline, "Was Baradell a Bit Too Honest?," a journalist named Phillip Day posted a letter on Romenesko's blog suggesting that I should have been fired for writing a story that I considered "slanted" and "sensational."

Phillip missed the point. The story I referenced in my previous post had no inaccuracies; it was thoroughly reported -- bulletproof.

However, based on my reporting, I personally believed that the individuals who made accusations had an ax to grind and that, since the accusations could not be verified, they should not have been published. Instead, we published the accusations -- clearly stating that they were accusations, not facts. Journalists do this every day.

Unfortunately, we also know that when a newspaper publishes accusations, many people assume they are true. To paraphrase Ed Meese, "Most people accused of a crime are guilty, aren't they?" I think journalists sometimes take this power for granted.