PrintApril 2, 2009
Touchy Times
Pinch Sulzberger's descent into a laughingstock accelerates. It's hard not to feel pity. Even those who fully agree with the editorial prejudices of the New York Times are taking note of the company's peril under the leadership of the man who inherited his job from his father. Mark Bowden of Vanity Fair penned the latest lengthy critique from the left, and in a move that can only increase the sniggering, Pinch's subordinate Bill Keller duly wrote a public letter of protest.
When the New Yorker and Vanity Fair turn on a liberal institution like the Times, and make its leader an object of scorn among the chic set, you know that it stings. But of course Pinch finds it rather difficult to defend his record by himself.
Something about this moment captures both the pathos and underlying problem at the Times. How much longer will the company be able to pay the scion of the founding family his multimillion dollar compensation packages?
Hat tip: David Paulin
