Remember when the NYT collaborated with the Bush administration to invade Iraq? I remember. It’s a reactionary, war-mongering rag, owned by the same family since the 19th century. Their editorial board ran the story “Israel is Fighting to Defend a Society That Values Human Life” just a couple of days into a series of cut-and-dry, textbook war crimes. War crime apologia is the absolute lowest form of writing.

I wish I could find it again, but when this new Sulzberger inherited the paper a while back, I saw a youtube compilation of a bunch of very famous and prestigious NYT reporters discussing how seriously the Sulzbergers took their role as guardians of the news in our democracy or whatever. It was the most tedious, noblesse oblige, aristocratic boot-licking bullshit.

Herman and Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent came out in 1988 – fully 35 years ago! – and it should’ve put an end to the paper’s reputation. It’s not specifically about the NYT, but it does use the NYT very often as an example, and the case studies are comprehensive and damning. If we cared about media literacy, we’d make it required reading in high school.