More on the Mythical $16 Muffin

A colleague pointed out yesterday that the sensational headlines concerning the Department of Justice allegedly paying $16 for muffins at a 2009 Washington legal conference were apparently misleading. The Associated Press, Talking Points Memo and others have reached a similar conclusion. Writing for Mother Jones, Kevin Drum has a good explanation.

The initial erroneous reporting on this matter is reminiscent of the drive-by journalism attack on the Office of Government Ethics 2011 conference in Orlando. Bashing government is a time-honored journalistic tradition, and we would be the last to discourage it. However, it's a good idea to make sure you get the facts right.