There, it gets complicated. I believe that errors — which in this case were quickly corrected — are an unfortunate byproduct of the kind of tough investigative reporting we need more of, not less of, and I also believe it was ridiculous for CNN to get rid of three top-notch journalists over just one mistake. (It's worth noting, in the Nixon-Watergate analogy, that the Post's Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein made a similar kind of error on one story, and yet are still recalled as national heroes for the body of their work.) The broader point is that, no, CNN is not "the perfect victim," but then it's also easy to get tripped up looking for 100-percent-innocent victims in any arena — social, racial or gender injustice, for example. Basic civil rights aren't based on good-behavior trophies; they are absolute. I'm a journalist who has written critically, even harshly, about the network over the years, but when the Trump administration goes after their 1st Amendment rights, I am CNN. And if you care about the rights of citizens to be informed in a free democratic society, then you are CNN as well. And we are all endangered.