He added: "There ought to be much more stock-taking, re-examination of assumptions, scrutinizing of old information in light of things that we have learned subsequently".
Scholars of the great painting traditions of India, for example, have taken knowledge of their subject to new levels in the past few decades, with their assiduous combing of documents, deciphering of inscriptions and scrutinizing of artworks.
Lucy A. Dalglish, the executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, portrayed the scrutinizing of Mr. Risen as part of a crackdown on leaking that is making it increasingly difficult to report on security and intelligence matters.
"The job is mainly a solo affair and involves careful scrutinizing of documents, such as patent applications for similar technologies, reflective deliberation about how the client's invention is different, and working out how to craft the wording of the patent claim," Hillis says.
Some can be explained by what many economists view as a healthy return to the skeptical scrutinizing of prospective borrowers by banks.
In the midst of recounting that anecdote, Mr. Kennedy took a break to offer his views on the scrutinizing of the private lives of public officials, something with which he clearly was quite familiar.
