Unfortunately, this story never escapes the world of perception to discuss the role banks played in the economic collapse, as well as the debt they owe to tax payers from the bailout.

It seems that the NY Times is pretty clear about why Goldman is making this "magnanimous" gesture (only a pitiful 3% of their employees salaries) which would indicate a reasonably accurate reporting of the truth. It also seems like the first two paragraphs make the point quite clear to the readers ot the NY Times (who are probably not your average American voters and might already have a reasonable understanding of the background to this story)...Goldman Sachs was naughty, Goldman Sachs is saying sorry and Goldman Sachs is handing out nickels and dimes pretty much like John D Rockefeller did in the last great depression to make friends and reinvent his tarnished public image.

This, to me, is an example of mediocre journalism. And a type of story I see a lot. Goldman sent out a press release. Bowley picked it up and added a very minor bit of context. And that's it. Nothing about how the new program compares to the billions they'll hand out in bonuses, what they used to lend, or what's needed to really contribute to recovery. In short, Bowley has shortchanged readers by not doing his homework.