Shit Field: The New York Times

In Tim O'Brien's amazing book, The Things They Carried, you might recall in the dark of night a bunch of soldiers are hiding in what they think is a rice paddy. A local peasant is urging them to get out of the place they're hiding, but they refuse to listen, are intractable about staying put. They start to notice the smell, but they can't move. By dawn, it's clear it's "the night soil" -- raw sewage -- and they are up to their ears in shit.

Last week The New York Times was still hiding in a rice paddy. Now they realize with the Judy Miller fiasco they need to get out of the shit field.