Times' coverage of Iraq the Model blog criticized

In response to a recent New York Times article regarding the controversy surrounding the pro-American blog, Iraq the Model, PressThink?s Jay Rosen proposes a larger theme: ?Sarah Boxer?s article about Iraq the Model was really about the Net and how you can?t trust anyone or anything that originated on it.? Critics included Buzzmachine?s Jeff Jarvis, who called into question the thoroughness of Boxer?s reporting, as well as ?astroturfing? allegations made about the blog. (See related brief.) New York Times Culture Editor Jonathan Landman defended Boxer?s article with a statement that included the following: ?Sarah was trying to give a sense of the befuddling complexity of an Internet brouhaha, of layers of potential manipulation with what astroturfing and blogtrolling and invisible dueling backers.?