text: Evergreen money tree presidential candidate Mitt Romney is only trying to double the size of his beachfront squatter’s den instead of quadrupling it as reported. Hm, let us get out our calculators here…divide by square root of total living space, minus number of cars parked in the garage, add 2012… oh whatever, net effect zero, Mitt Romney still appears as out-of-touch with the vast majority of hobo Americans as ever before. Even Mitt Romney knows this, who did not bother to go to the press with this clarification. Instead it comes from the publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader, whose big fact-correction scoop directly from the mouth of Mittens will surely lead Everyone to Think Harder about correctly reporting the details of King Romney’s enormous fortune from now on. When will the lamestream media learn? 
   
   The difference is some kind of technical argument over square-footage measurements of “non-living space” like a basement and a garage. 
   
   Here is Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid with his big Tsk Tsk: 
   
   Still, I asked [Romney,] why give the media and political foes raw meat right now by filing for permits to tear down a La Jolla, Calif., beach house and quadruple its size? That was the wire story we had run the day before, and it was all over the Internet. It’s not accurate, Romney said, simply. The application he made, two years ago, was to double the living space by turning one story into two. The “quadrupling’’ was a measurement of added nonliving space, including a basement and garage. That sounds more reasonable, I said. Had he issued a statement to that effect? He shrugged his shoulders with a “why bother?’’ look. I think it’s worth the bother. Accuracy in media is more than the name of a group. It ought to be what we in the profession strive for, rather than to have the story fit a preconceived notion. 
   
   What have we learned from this important update? Mitt Romney does not count basements or garages as “living space.” Where does Mitt Romney think college graduates are living these days? [Union Leader] ||||| Joe McQuaid's Publisher's Notes: Making the Red Arrow’s wall of fame proves elusive, but I can do right by Mitt 
   
   By JOSEPH W. McQUAID 
   
   Publisher 
   
   The waitresses at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester weren't happy with the Mitt Romney picture they have on their wall of fame. It's out of focus, they told him the other morning.As he was about to leave, one of them grabbed him by the arm. 'I need you, too,'' she said to me.Well, I thought, that's using her head. She can get a new photo of Romney and get me for the same price. Finally, I would be up there with Adam Sandler and other important people.My dream lasted until the waitress handed me her camera. I don't remember the last time I was asked to photograph a presidential candidate. It might have been Ronald Reagan.I watched Romney interact with the morning diners, some of whom came over to wish him luck, others whom he approached with a smile. He was animated and not afraid to disagree - politely - with one woman on Social Security issues.It is tough to deal with stereotypes. One about Romney is that he is stiff with people. A new one is that he is being 'rude'' with some voters. An old one is that he is the rich guy in the race.He may be making progress on the stiffness. And the times I have seen him deal with hecklers, he has been pleasant, but persistent. He makes no bones about making a lot of money in the private sector.Still, I asked him, why give the media and political foes raw meat right now by filing for permits to tear down a La Jolla, Calif., beach house and quadruple its size? That was the wire story we had run the day before, and it was all over the Internet.It's not accurate, Romney said, simply. The application he made, two years ago, was to double the living space by turning one story into two. The 'quadrupling'' was a measurement of added nonliving space, including a basement and garage.That sounds more reasonable, I said. Had he issued a statement to that effect?He shrugged his shoulders with a 'why bother?'' look.I think it's worth the bother. Accuracy in media is more than the name of a group. It ought to be what we in the profession strive for, rather than to have the story fit a preconceived notion.We sure cannot afford to pick any more of our Presidents based on assumptions. 
   
   
   
   Publisher's Notebook
target: – Joe McQuaid, publisher of New Hampshire’s Union Leader, was at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester during a recent visit from Mitt Romney, and he got a bit of much-needed clarification on an issue that’s been bothering some people: Why in the world is Romney giving his foes fodder for complaint by quadrupling the size of his California beach house? Easy answer: The story isn’t accurate, Romney explained. In truth, his application was to simply double the living space by adding a second story. Of course, if you include the additional nonliving space—including a basement and a garage—then you get to the “quadrupling.” Even so, McQuaid thinks Romney should make an official statement to clear the issue up. “Accuracy in media is more than the name of a group. It ought to be what we in the profession strive for, rather than to have the story fit a preconceived notion,” McQuaid writes. “We sure cannot afford to pick any more of our presidents based on assumptions.” (But in a snarky post on Wonkette, Kirsten Boyd Johnson notes, "Mitt Romney still appears as out-of-touch with the vast majority of hobo Americans as ever before.")