Anyone who doubts how the extent of pressure on media outlets when it comes to covering Israel should pick up the New York Times.

In yesterday's Times (3/8/12),  we saw this correction:

Because of an editing error, an article on Wednesday about a large lobbying effort on Capitol Hill Tuesday by delegates to the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee referred incorrectly to the organization, known as AIPAC. It is a pro-Israel lobbying group that works in the United States to advance Israel's interests. It does not work directly for the state of Israel or its government.

This strange correction didn't go unnoticed, but it's still kind of puzzling--in large part because readers might not be able to figure out what the story said that warranted a correction. The offending reference seems to have been calling AIPAC an "Israel lobbying group." AIPAC is a powerful lobbying organization that just held its massive annual conference, which as usual was followed by a day of congressional lobbying about Israel. The Times seems to want to let readers know that AIPAC is not officially part of the Israeli government. Given that the piece talks about American citizens visiting members of Congress, it's unlikely that many people would be confused.