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Leadership is the problem at @nytpolitics. Read this. vanityfair.com/news/2019/05/t… Baquet thinks he can win the appearances game! "The Times was wary of how viewers might perceive a down-the-middle journalist like Enrich talking politics with a mega-ideological host like Maddow." 1/
The same issue (perception of bias) came up around social media in 2017. Again the Times sought to discipline its troops. Here's what I wrote then in my post, "Pricing access to the Trump White House: the strange case of the Times social media policy." pressthink.org/2017/11/pricin… 2. 
Marty Baron must be chuckling softly as he watches his rival tie himself into knots over the problem of what the right wing might say about The New York Times. And as Wash Post reporters fill those seats on TV shows from which the Times has been frightened away by its enemies. 3/
No one on TV is more respectful of Times reporters than @Maddow. No one! She thanks them endlessly, congratulates them on their scoops, asks them about their reporting, and never puts them into positions where they are supposed to give an opinion, because she knows the deal. 4/
Sorry, but this is just pathetic. "Baquet and other managers have become increasingly concerned that if a Times reporter were to go on one of these shows, his or her appearance could be perceived as being aligned with that show’s political leanings." vanityfair.com/news/2019/05/t… 5/
The Times is being out-thunk. Here's a Washington Post spokesperson on whether the Post will be frightened away from TV platforms where its reporters can speak truth. "We view all broadcast programs as opportunities to expose our journalism to different audiences." Exactly! 6/
Remarkable to me that people who get paid to understand politics — journalists at @nytpolitics — are willing to be governed by an idea as stupid as "his or her appearance could be perceived as being aligned with..." At this late date in the culture wars, that's where you are? 7/
On May 31, 2017, the Times announced that it was eliminating the public editor position. It should have doubled it instead: two public editors to handle the load. But now we can see this decision conformed with Baquet's theory of the case for how to ride out the Trump years— 8/
—Double down on middle of the road-ism, worry deeply about perception, fight the culture war on your enemies' preferred ground of media bias, treat the dismay of core readers as proof of a splendid neutrality— and keep up the investigative reporting. That's Dean Baquet's plan. 9/
Not outraged, but I am disgusted by this weakness of mind at a great institution. As a Times loyalist (critic's division) I don't do "cancel my subscription." But cancel my confidence that anyone in charge there can think their way out of this problem: pressthink.org/2018/10/next-t… END
