This New York Times story takes Wal-Mart bashing to new heights. Let’s begin with some basics. First, nobody has to work for Wal-Mart. If you choose to work for Wal-Mart, you must play by its rules. You have no right, legal or otherwise, to play by your own rules and still be paid. Second, Wal-Mart can do whatever it likes, within the bounds of the law. The editorial board of The New York Times may not like the way the business is run, but that’s too bad. The board members don’t run (or own) the business. Third, does the Times itself run a clean business? Can you say “Jayson Blair”? Just this past week, the Times ran a correction in which it admitted that nearly every salient “fact” about one of its stories—a story that, not coincidentally, made the Bush administration look bad—was wrong. If you want to talk about business ethics, what is the ethical status of putting yourself forward as a disinterested purveyor of truth, when in fact you are an advocate for progressive causes? I’m not talking about the opinion page; I’m talking about the news pages. Reading the Times is like reading a propaganda sheet. This story about Wal-Mart is nothing more (or less) than a hit piece, motivated by hatred or some other vile emotion.

Addendum: The Times reporter calls Wal-Mart “ruthless.” Why? Because Wal-Mart enforces its policies against wayward employees! Well, duh. What would be the point of having a policy if it’s not enforced, and what’s wrong with hiring highly trained people to do the enforcement? So what if their skills were acquired while working for the CIA or FBI? Would the Times refrain from hiring a reporter whose skills had been acquired while working for an intelligence agency? Why does it matter where one’s skills come from? Is the Times implying that these enforcement officers are breaking the law? If so, then it should back up that claim with evidence. Did you notice in the story that one of the Wal-Mart employees who got into trouble with the company had taped conversations between the reporter and Wal-Mart officials? Now the same reporter writes a hit piece. Hmm. How is that not ruthless? How is that not vengeful? The Times itself is more than happy to indulge this reporter’s obsession with retaliation, for the Times has been bashing Wal-Mart for years.