Why The New York Times’ Resolution For More Accurate Reporting Is Doomed

The problem with these mea culpas and modified, limited hang-outs is that anyone familiar with the history of The New York Times has seen this movie before.

The election of Donald Trump supposedly shocked the leadership of The New York Times into self-reflection, if not an outright reassessment of the way it reports on America and its politics. This resolve is already melting away, if the early results are any sign.

Noting the “unexpected” election result, the NYT’s publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., and its executive editor, Dean Baquet, wrote to readers that they would: “rededicate [them]selves to the fundamental mission of Times journalism. That is to report America and the world honestly, without fear or favor, striving always to understand and reflect all political perspectives and life experiences in the stories that we bring to you.”

As New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin observed, “Had the paper actually been fair to both candidates, it wouldn’t need to rededicate itself to honest reporting.” This, perhaps, is why Baquet went further in an interview with NYT media reporter Jim Rutenberg: “If I have a mea culpa for journalists and journalism, it’s that we’ve got to do a much better job of being on the road, out in the country, talking to different kinds of people than the people we talk to — especially if you happen to be a New York-based news organization — and remind ourselves that New York is not the real world.”

Moreover, the paper’s public editor, Liz Spayd, reported on the “searing” level of reader dissatisfaction with the NYT’s election coverage. She wished “someone from the newsroom was on the line with [her], especially to hear how many of the more liberal voters wanted more balanced coverage.”

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