Blair's misconduct was spectacular, but no one died because of it, so the Times has certainly had many lower points in the 152 years since Henry Raymond, a conservative Christian, founded it.

If Times executive editor Howell Raines wants to restore reader trust, he could begin by supporting the efforts of Ukrainians who want the Pulitzer Prize board to revoke its award to Duranty seven decades ago. The Times could tell the truth about abortionists, as it did during the 1870s. Raines could work to diversify the newsroom by adding biblical evangelicals and orthodox Jews likely to produce stories that have a firmer foundation than just snappy prose.

Raines, in setting up a committee to address what went wrong in the Blair affair, stipulated that the committee would include members from outside the newspaper. Here's a challenge, Mr. Raines: If your statement that "we have nothing to hide" is more than public relations smoke, include as outside-the-newspaper members experienced journalists like William Proctor (author of "The Gospel According to The New York Times") or Russ Braley (author of "Bad News: The Foreign Policy of The New York Times").

Maybe the Times will listen to its critics and find ways to rebound from not only this public relations disaster but from disasters that devastated the public.