In a staff-written piece, Politico’s Challenge to JFK Orthodoxy That Isn’t WhoWhatWhy alleges that Politico’s recent piece on the new JFK files is “disinformation.”
I agree with WhoWhatWhy that the Politico story is politically convenient and factually incomplete, but I reject the claim that it is “disinformation.”
The word “disinformation” suggests that the authors, former New York Times reporter Phil Shenon and University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato, are deliberately making assertions they know to be false.
I know Shenon and Sabato. Both are very knowledgable about the JFK story. There is plenty to debate in their journalism and scholarship but nothing that indicates they would intentionally lie. While I disagree with their analysis of the JFK case, I have no reason to believe they are making assertions they know to be false.
No evidence is presented for the insinuation of intentional deception, so I believe the charge is baseless and should be withdrawn.
I think Shenon and Sabato are sincere in their arguments. I also think they are wrong, as I will explain in a coming post.