Via Romenesko, Walter Pincus writes in Nieman Reports that journalists need to stop printing politicians’ spin:

A new element of courage in journalism would be for editors and reporters to decide not to cover the President’s statements when he — or any public figure — repeats essentially what he or she has said before. The Bush team also has brought forward another totally PR gimmick: The President stands before a background that highlights the key words of his daily message. This tactic serves only to reinforce that what’s going on is public relations — not governing. Journalistic courage should include the refusal to publish in a newspaper or carry on a TV or radio news show any statements made by the President or any other government official that are designed solely as a public relations tool, offering no new or valuable information to the public.

However, printing spin for the New York Times is a-okay:

In another run through the SWIFT gauntlet, Walter Pincus defends the New York Times’ exposure of national security secrets in Watching Finances Of Terror Suspects Discussed in 2002. The “continued” hed on A5 reads Assertions Against Media Doubted By Walter Pincus:
At a House subcommittee hearing five months after the Sept. 11 attacks, plans were openly discussed to give the government a highly secure, real-time electronic capability to request and receive data from financial institutions about suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations. The approach was closely similar to the effort described in news reports last month, which the Bush administration has said endangered national security. Raise your hand if you remember the fabled hearing held by the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in February of 2002.
Those were the days, my friend. Heady times.

So was the Swift program a secret? The NYT’s Lichtblau and Risen were for the idea before they were against it.

UPDATE: Oops. I got the “By Walter Pincus” strikethru joke in the original PostWatch post, but I messed up the formatting when I copied it over. It’s fixed now.