the_date() doesn’t display on some posts

I am having a problem where the_date() will fail to display on some posts. I have check the entry and it does indeed have a publish date attached to it. Any suggestions?

This is the code from my index.php

<?php get_header() ?>
<div id="content">
	<?php if ( have_posts() ) : while ( have_posts() ) : the_post('category_name=news'); ?>
		<h2 class="post_title">
			<a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a>
		</h2>
		<div class="post"><?php the_content(); ?></div>
		<div class="post_meta">
			<p class="byline">Posted by <?php the_author_posts_link(); ?> on <?php the_date('m.d.Y'); ?></p>
			<?php if (function_exists('sharethis_button')) { sharethis_button(); } ?>
		</div>

	<?php endwhile; else: ?>
	<p><?php _e('Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.'); ?></p>
	<?php endif; ?>
	<div class="navigation">
		<div class="alignleft">
			<?php next_posts_link('&laquo; Older Entries') ?>
		</div>
		<div class="alignright">
			<?php previous_posts_link('Newer Entries &raquo;') ?>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>
<?php get_sidebar() ?>
<?php get_footer() ?>