Whitewashing Jordan's Elections?

Jadaliyya has a cogent and provocative piece by Ziad Abu-Rish called "Romancing the Throne: The New York Times and the Endorsement of Authoritarianism in Jordan." It's a strong indictment of Western coverage of last month's Jordanian Parliamentary elections. It doesn't lend itself to a short summary, but argues that by treating the elections as a success, they misread the degree of manipulation involved. I recommend you read the whole thing.