First, it took the paper nearly 12 hours to issue a correction for an allegation its editors could’ve vetted in a matter of seconds prior to publication. Secondly, it’s worth pointing out that a Times columnist, Paul Krugman, is largely responsible for mainstreaming the myth that Palin incited the shooting (the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank helped). The Times has never acknowledged or apologized for Krugman’s role in pushing this fabrication.

Applauding the paper for correcting a despicable falsehood, which, by the way, made it into print only because the entire editorial board was too sloppy and too lazy to double-check the claim, sets the bar for praise embarrassingly low.

If you feel the urge to applaud the Times for correcting its humiliatingly stupid and 100 percent avoidable error, resist the temptation. Take a note from Robert Redford’s great 1994 drama Quiz Show, which is based on the real-life events of the 1950s quiz show scandals.