Interesting compare-and-contrast in the Boston dailies on the role of the press as political truth squad.

The Boston Globe’s Political Intelligence blog reports Mission Accomplished for Team Romney in its first TV spot:

WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney’s advisers are pleased with the reaction to their first TV ad of his campaign, saying they are successfully engaging with the person they view as their chief rival — President Obama — by including an intentionally deceptive quote from him in their ad.

“It’s all deliberate. It was all very intentional,” Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney senior adviser, said after last night’s debate in Washington. “We want to engage him on the subject he wants to avoid, which is his failure to create jobs and get this economy moving again.”

Actually, lying is just step one. Step two is releasing a press statement that includes “more complete context for the quote.”

And step three?

Fehrnstrom said it was the job of the media to provide the full context, not the campaign.

“You guys have it,” he said. “If you do your job [voters] will learn about it.”

So that’s our division of labor: The campaign ads lie, the news media clarify.

Except some, apparently, would leave out the second part. From a Boston Herald piece on the Romney ad rumpus:

Richard Benedetto, a political professor at American University, said the media shouldn’t get involved when it comes to television advertising wars.

“It’s not for us to be the referees of this battle. If a campaign feels an ad is unfair and misleading, they can make that charge and have the other guy defend himself,” Benedetto said.

The hardworking staff would prefer not to live in that guy’s world.