New York Times On The Precipice

[Roy]

Source: Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair/Politics & Power


The Inheritance
With a doomsday clock ticking for newspapers as we know them, no one has more at stake than fourth-generation New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., who is scrambling to keep his family’s prized asset alive. Some see him as a lightweight cheerleader, others as the last, best defender of quality journalism. Talking to company insiders, the author examines the nexus of dynasty and character that has brought the 57-year-old Sulzberger to the precipice.

In his eagerness to champion First Amendment rights he blundered into a losing and ultimately embarrassing fight over his old friend Judith Miller, who went to jail to protect a source, former Cheney chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby, before striking a deal with prosecutors. The fight was widely regarded as a poor one to make into a First Amendment test case, but that didn’t stop Arthur from charging to Miller’s defense. The “Free Judy” buttons he distributed made for a ludicrous contrast to his father’s storied battle over the Pentagon Papers. An explanatory mea culpa about the Miller case, written by the executive editor, Bill Keller, suggested that Miller had had an “entanglement” with Libby, which some read as a suggestion that she was sleeping with him.

Read more: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/05/new-york-times200905?currentPage=1

[truedelphi]

1. I have scarcely read the NYT's since their flirtation with Judith (the misinformer)

Miller. I hold them responsible for Rah Rah-ing this nation into Bush's dirty little Iraqi war.

But last weekend I picked up a free copy of their Saturday edition. It wa so frick-in rah rah for Geithner, and Bernanke, and also had an entire article on how some CEO at Goldman Sachs was saying - "We didn't even need the Bailout monies! We are in good shape" So uh, I thinks to meself, why did you go forth and swipe the Bailout monies from us taxpayers, not once, but twice, Mr. GS CEO??

Anyway instinct tells me that the NYT probably has vast holdings in AIG or Goldman Sachs or vice versa. Just finished Geroge Searles' autobiography and he mentions the major bond holders for one of the major PA newspapers back in his day.

THe news is so corrupt, because on the one hand they can only print the news that their advertisers want, and on the other hand they can only print the news that the people buying their bonds want, and then down on their left foot, they can only print news favorable to their own corporate holdings.

[liberal N proud]

2. I wonder about the demise of the newspapers

Why are they failing? It is said because the younger generations are getting news from blogs and other on-line sources.

They fail to mention why people have abandoned the print. They don't examine why the younger people walked away from the papers. They will say things like they are too busy. But is that really the reason?

Could it have to do with the last dozen years or longer that the media in general has been nothing but a coordinated source of propaganda?

I have said many times over the last 8 years alone that this nation only has the illusion of a multi media system. Not unlike many communist country there is really only one or two sources of the propaganda. Only in America it is broadcast and printed in many different outlets.

The newspapers only did this to themselves.

[Demeter]

3. With Lots of GOP Help

the corporatization and conglomeration of media was the GOP response to the Pentagon Papers and Watergate and Iran/Contra scandals. If they couldn't suppress the First Amendment, then they could shut it down entirely.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. You may find this Sirota piece interesting:

Newspapers’ Self-Inflicted Wounds

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090326_newspapers_self-inflicted_wounds



Nutshell: Serving up pap and abandoning hard reporting.

[gratuitous]

5. Let me be the first

JUMP! you fuckers.