Post asks itself: Was Obama mortgage story fair?

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A large number of you were critical of a post I put up on July 2 linking to a Washington Post article headlined ‘Obama Got Discount on Home Loan.’

That said, many of you will be interested in the Post’s own follow-up, in which the paper’s ombudsman asks whether the story was fair.

Highlights: The Post received more than 1,700 comments on the story, many complaining that it was unfair and negative. So was the story unfair? The ombudsman, Deborah Howell, hedges. She quotes critics of the story: ‘No story,’ says financial adviser Stephen B. Smith. ‘It’s a very normal mortgage gotten by normal people, not even a sweetheart deal.

She also quotes defenders of the story: ‘I wish I had written the story,’ says Holden Lewis, who covers mortgages for Bankrate.com. ‘I realize that the story annoyed some people, but this was a case of an enterprising reporter asking a question that had to be asked and who got it answered thoroughly.’

The Post’s final verdict, as I read it: The story had news value and belonged in the paper but was unneccessarily negative.

Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com.
Photo Credit: Bloomberg News.