The New York Times, Sows' Ears, and Silk Purses

The New York Times, Sows' Ears, and Silk Purses

No matter what they say, I don’t think it’s possible to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. The New York Times does, though.

The former “paper of record,” “the Old Gray Lady,” currently on life support with a DNR notice above its sick bed, does not literally believe in the possibility of the conversion of a dirty pig’s ear into a pricey handbag but it does seem to think it can convert Sen. Harry Reid into a winner.

The Times made a final desperate shot last Friday toward that end in its front page article, “In Nevada, It’s Hold Nose and Cast Vote,” the chief premise of which is that both Reid and his Republican conservative opponent, Sharron Angle, stink, at least in the noses of most Nevadans and possibly in the opinion of the article writers, Dan Barry and Michael Cooper.

The underlying message in the piece is that, since both Reid and Angle are rotten candidates, why not go with the most powerful one?

The Times reporters interviewed a number of Democrats and Republicans for “In Nevada, It’s Hold Nose and Cast Vote,” which would seem to suggest equitable reporting. However, as CNSNews.com points out, without quoting a single Republican who fears the thought of Harry losing, the Times article went on to say that, “Some Republicans fear losing such a powerful ally [that would be Harry] in Washington.” . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=2451)