This image was lost some time after publication.

Well, Jack Shafer couldn't leave well enough alone, could he? In January 2004, Peter Landesman published an NYT Mag piece about the sex traffic industry. Within days, Shafer, spurred on by resident blog dude Daniel Radosh, took the piece apart, and continued to, until ultimately NYT watchdog Daniel Okrent (inventor of fantasy baseball!) and NYT Sunday mag editor Gerald Marzorati dug their feet in for a fight. The catfight went on for a while, with accusations of plagarism, lawsuits and the occasional wearing of Capri pants. Eventually, as these things tend to do, it died out, because, you know, it's nice outside. Sometimes it's good to go out there. (The whole thing is detailed thoroughly here, if you dare.)

Well, it's back. Shafer, presumably grinning maniacally, revisited the piece yesterday, saying that the 16 months since Landesman's story ran have not added a "scintilla of certitude." (Shafer use dem big werds.) The fight, henceforth, has begun again, with Radosh and Landesman duking it out on the Radosh message board. We hope this goes on for another week, then takes another year and a half off, begins again, and keeps on going like this until 2027. Then they can all trade punches on their rocketpacks.—WL

Sex Slaves Revisited [Slate]
Radosh Vs. Landesman [Radosh.net]
The Whole Sordid History [Radosh.net]
The Girls Next Door [NYT Mag]