Somebody get Jack Shafer on the phone … the Times' public editor Byron Calame is making an ass out himself again, and we expect at least 1,000 words out of Slate on this one. From the Media Mob of the New York Observer:

New York Times public editor Byron Calame, writing May 21 on the paper's disputed coverage of possible standing-room travel on airlines:

And so, as often happens with nearly unbelievable stories, this one took on a life of its own. The concept grabbed headlines in scores of publications around the world and was even incorporated into illustrations on the cover of The New Yorker and on The Times's Op-Ed page.

Off the Record, writing May 3 about the Times' disputed coverage of possible standing-room travel on airlines:

In the week between the original story and the correction, the standing-room claim took on a life of its own. The May 8 New Yorker, appearing May 1, featured a cover painting by Bruce McCall of an airliner with standing-room seats…. On May 1, The Times ran an Op-Ed illustration by the Open design studio spoofing the standing-room concept.

What was that about bloggers and original reporting again?

Who Will Public-Edit the Public Editor? [Media Mob, New York Observer]