Funny story: On Tuesday the Times wrote about how Republicans are calling Democrats soft on crime, and Democrats are responding by calling Republicans racist (because, you know, pointing out that crime has risen is racist).

Amazingly, the story actually admitted (about 10 paragraphs in, but still) that crime has risen and that “legitimate policy differences have emerged.”

Okay, fine. And this was the article’s headline (briefly): As Republican Campaigns Seize on Crime, Racism Becomes a New Battlefront.

Which reasonably captured the reality of what’s happening - Republicans are talking about crime, Democrats are saying they are racist to do so. You the reader can agree with either side, but those are the facts.

Alas. That headline was too accurate and non-partisan for the place I used to work, and so the Times “fixed” the headline, to leave no doubt of the villain here.

You’ll never guess who’s to blame!

“Republicans Inject Race!” Sounds like a movie I’m not supposed to have watched. But I digress.

And journalists wonder why no one on the right trusts even their most basic reporting anymore…