Never trust them!-----A 1979 NYT article described Ayatollah Khomeini as: an honest man, surrounded by moderates concerned with human rights...

...concerned with human rights, who will leave his internal enemies free to express themselves, and overall a beacon of hope for the region's future. - Students For Liberty
The New York Times wasn't reporting on Khomeini, they were projecting onto him. 

They wanted to believe the Iranian Revolution would bring progress, so they saw moderation where none existed.

• What actually happened? 
• Mass executions. 
• Suppression of women. 
• Persecution of minorities. 
• Decades of regional instability. 
• Iran became a theocratic regime that stones women, hangs dissidents, and funds proxy wars across the Middle East.
• The "moderates" around Khomeini? Purged within months. The internal enemies left "free to express themselves"? Silenced, imprisoned, or killed.

This wasn't a failure of prediction. 

It was a failure of honesty...