Glenn Reynolds has a theory for why the New York Times would write an article about Ann Coulter without actually having any idea what Ann Coulter believes:
To know what Ann Coulter writes in her books, they’d have to know what’s in her books. That would require reading Ann Coulter’s books — and worse yet, admitting it in print, which no self-respecting Timesian would do. Far better to make a major embarrassing error (one of three Kaus dissects) — and thus actually score points when busted by Mickey, since this makes it clear to the NYT crowd that your mind is unpolluted by contact with Coulter’s writing.
Or, here’s another theory: The New York Times is in dire financial straits; perhaps this is a cost-saving measure. Research can be expensive and time-consuming, and at the NYT it hardly seems to contribute much to their reporting anyway. Better to skip the research phase and go straight to writing.
Internet Scofflaw 