Oh, the Times
More and more these days, commentors, journalists, bloggers and readers are talking about the arrogance and bias at New York Times. But they say it offhandedly, as in something that’s just given and accepted. In spite of that, the Times still sets the agenda for a lot of other media, and still carries a heavyweight reputation.
For instance, just this week the Times carried a front-page story declaring that a majority of women are choosing to live without a husband, and that same day the Times story was picked up and reported by major radio talk shows and television news shows across the nation.
But.., the Times is also getting push back from other journalists now. Like this column from Michael Medved about that particular story.
On Tuesday, January 16th, 2007, the American people awoke to startling and disturbing news: for the first time ever, the majority of women in the country were living without a husband.
All the TV networks, radio news broadcasts, pundits, talk show hosts and leading newspapers reported on the devastating milestone, and saw it as yet another indication of the ongoing collapse of the traditional family. Some commentators hailed this development as an encouraging sign of newfound freedom, while others decried it as a reflection of decadence and dysfunction.
With all the debate and pontification about the new minority status of married women, it’s just too bad that no significant media outlet (beyond this writer, on my nationally syndicated radio show) made the single most important and salient observation about the big news–
That is, it’s not true.
The entire story (based on the work of one ax-grinding, irresponsible, agenda-driven journalist for the New York Times) has been cooked up from willful, blatant and shameful distortions. Amazingly enough, none of the most respected and purportedly responsible media authorities have taken the trouble to call him on it.
Irresponsibility at the highest levels of elite media never ceases to amaze me, and I write and speak about it fairly often. In fact, I’m honored to be in the company of the terrific writers and editor of MercatorNet with this assessment of the Times phenomenon.
Recently, the Times was uncovered for its flagrantly false reporting in a cover story of the Times Sunday magazine on abortion in El Salvador. The editors were finally forced to issue a correction, though it was late and rather grudging. The Public Editor was the only one to come clean on the affair.
So it will be interesting to see the New York Times Sunday Magazine story tomorrow on the pro-life movement, and its concentration on women themselves, to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It will be very interesting to see how the Times handles that one. Check in here for some coverage once it’s out.
