Monday, March 12, 2007

New York Times Slams Giuliani, As It Did Lieberman

Nick Williams, Jr., longtime deputy foreign editor at the L.A. Times, used to get a wry enjoyment out of what he termed the double-negative stories in the Times' old View section.

View, as Williams would observe, was delighted with stories in which the subject had not one, but two negatives in life causing prejudice against him or her. Retarded Hispanics. Quadriplegic Siamese twins. Gay reactionaries. Etc.

The New York Times practices another kind of double negative. Two negative stories against the same personality on the same day.

The Times, which pretends to be objective, but certainly goes after politicians it doesn't like, tried unsuccessfully to "get" Conneciticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman last year, with numerous editorials and articles against him, and for his McGovernite opposition, cut-and-runner Ned Lamont.

This year, the choice of NYT editors for the poison pin is Rudolph Giuliani. On Sunday, it had two separate stories, one in its Style section and the other in Week in Review raising question of the former New York mayor's divorces and relations with his children.

The argument in the NYT seemed to revolve around the contention that if Giuliani's divorces didn't disqualify him for election as President, then his adultery would. Or maybe the fact that he announced he was divorcing one wife in a press conference, and perhaps not to her first personally.

Well, the electorate may have its own standards for who it elects President. And it shows a lack of prudity that the New York Times sometimes does not. It didn't seem to side against President Clinton after his Monica Lewinsky affair. It elected the divorced Ronald Reagan, even when it was revealed one or more of his children were on the outs with him.

It is too bad, as far as the editors of the New Y ork Times seem to be concerned, that they can't seem to go after otherwise principled politicians with impunity.

But so be it. The average American may care more for the principles of Lieberman and Giuliani than he or she is bothered by their personal shortcomings.

In the meantime, the New York Times), should try to avoid doubledipping on negative stories in the same daily issue.

--

And Nick Goldberg, an editor at the L.A. Times, may hate Israel (and California too, if his wife's recent book is taken into account). But that shouldn't allow him to print the incorrigibly militant campaigner against Israel, UCLA professor Saree Makdisi, in repeated diatribes on Times editorial pages. Makdisi ought to be deported, as Goldberg probably should be too. They could all be packed off with the Tribune CEO, Dennis FitzSimons, to the island of Sark.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

you don't know much about new york or its former mayor who was racially divisive and waged a mean little war against the homeless--for starters. If you knew anything, you'd know the big bad city was tiring of Rudy G. before 9/ll put a bigger halo on him than the actual first responders who did more than deliver stirring speeches to the press. Before that terrible day, rudy the rude pushed aside Bill Bratton, now your police commish in los angeles, because he couldn't bear Bratton getting much deserved publicity for dramatically lowering crime in New York. Now rudy is courting Bratton...or didn't you know that either?

3/12/2007 12:41 PM  

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