Is this happening too often to be unintentional?

A once-trusted source, The New York Times, last week admitted it was mistaken in slamming UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.

In a lengthy editor’s note, the newspaper confessed it unfairly blamed her for spending $52,700 in taxpayers’ money on curtains for her apartment across from the United Nations.

It admitted it found that the curtains were ordered during the Obama era.

The paper originally reported the State Department spent the money on “customized and mechanized” curtains for her.

“An earlier version of this article and headline created an unfair impression about who was responsible for the purchase in question,” the newspaper confessed.

“While Nikki R. Haley is the current ambassador to the United Nations, the decision on leasing the ambassador’s residence and purchasing the curtains was made during the Obama administration, according to current and former officials,” the Times noted.

“The article should not have focused on Ms. Haley, nor should a picture of her have been used. The article and headline have now been edited to reflect those concerns, and the picture has been removed.”

The Times reported the curtains cost $29,900 and the motors and hardware used to open and close them cost $22,801.

Haley is a former Lexington resident, SC governor and the first UN ambassador to live in the building across from the UN after a Chinese company bought the Waldorf-Astoria where ambassadors once lived.

The State Department saved $77,000 a month – $924,000 a year – in deciding the hotel’s $135,000 a month penthouse was a security concern.

Haley’s apartment is listed for $58,000 a month.

Patrick Kennedy, the head management official in former President Obama’s State Department, told the Times that the lease is in the government’s name.

He said the apartment is an investment for the government as it would serve the ambassador’s needs for entertainment and security.

“All she’s got is a part-time maid and the ability to open and close the curtains quickly is important,” he said.