What is wrong with The New York Times? It’s a question that conservatives ask frequently, of course. But, over the years, it’s also become an obsession with liberals and the progressive left, whose more strident voices — frequently heard on Bluesky — claim that the Times is in thrall to Donald Trump in order to sell newspapers, advance a corporate agenda or whatever. You often hear the term “sanewashing” in these circles, referring to a practice of quoting Trump in a way that plays down his hateful rhetoric and deteriorating mental acuity.
Sign up for free email delivery of Media Nation — and become a supporter for just $6 a month.
I’ve often been among those critics. In 2018, I wrote a commentary for GBH News referring to “the Timid Times” and comparing it unfavorably to the then-ascendant Washington Post, which was firing on all cylinders under executive editor Marty Baron. As I wrote: “The picture that emerges is of a news organization often out of sync with its mostly liberal audience and that is way too concerned about what conservatives might say.”