For a long time, I’ve had an inkling that certain friends and acquaintances had an unusual relationship with their newspaper, the New York Times. As a news junky of humble means, I subscribe to no paper but regularly pick up stories from maybe close to 100 online periodicals via aggregators. These include some New York Times articles that slip out from behind their paywall as well as their free daily newsletter, a summary of their full published works. Over the years, it seemed like the NYT had a predictable left oriented base that depended on the them as a reliable source for their perspective. Times have changed and, in some respects, so has the NYT, as top news and editorial staff have either been run out by political correctness, either imposed upon them by their bosses, now peers, or by the personally necessary fleeing from work hostility. At some point, the NYT went from being simply liberal to be a hotbed of staunch activism. Every major political and culture war news story is an editorial.
During this time of deepening ideological parochialism, I’ve noticed a change in their reader base. Whenever I bring up the NYT on social media, particularly on those public threads across the aisle from my own political leanings, I’ve encountered what is becoming, open hostility to question their beloved paper. Their paper has become a demigod. I have gone from being an equal citizen with a right to my own opinion, to an aggressor of their God. This explains their sudden indignation, their loss of discipline and manners in the topic at hand; that I had the temerity to impugn their beloved, their most holy, the adored, the one worthy of praise, deference, and honor!
I have to admit, mentioning the NYT, then stating any known politically moderate position that the NYT does not take into consideration, (even sans naming a certain lightning rod personality), is pure greasy smelly bait to the acolytes of the NYT. Get ready for a long ride at the reel! And you probably thunk a newspaper was just a newspaper!
Hail Lord Sulzberger!