The New York Times Continues the Attack on Palin

Is the New York Times pursuing a vendetta?

by: randall nunn | published: 09 15, 2008

One would think that a major newspaper facing declining revenues and readership would carefully consider whether continuing a partisan attack on a very popular candidate for high national office is a prudent course of action. Particularly when the press has very low public approval ratings. Yet The New York Times continues its attacks on Governor Sarah Palin with “news” articles that are neither accurate nor objective.

The Sunday Fort Worth Star-Telegram carried an article by three New York Times writers entitled “’Hard Questions’ about how Palin governs.” The sub-title, in a not-very-subtle jab, stated “Sarah Palin has pursued vendettas and fired officials who crossed her.” The article that follows should be used in journalism schools as an example of a biased “hit piece” designed to persuade readers that the “target” of the article is flawed and unworthy of high office.

The Times article pointed out that Palin had hired at least five high school classmates into state government. Could it perhaps have been pointed out that Kennedy, Carter, Clinton and other Democrats hired classmates or friends after they were elected? Do the names Bobby Kennedy, Bert Lance or Webster Hubbell ring a bell? Apparently, Palin’s hiring of high school classmates merits harsh criticism while really egregious examples of cronyism and nepotism by Democrats isn’t deserving of mention.

The Times article takes Palin to task for “huddling” with her budget director and her husband (not a state employee) to discuss budget cuts. Of course, we know that President Clinton often “huddled” with Hillary Clinton (also not a government employee) but that raised no “hard questions” for The New York Times.

The New York Times article stated that “an examination” of Palin’s swift rise and record “finds” that “her visceral style and penchant for attacking critics” contrasts with her public image. Note that there is none of the usual care normally taken by the mainstream media saying “alleged” penchant for attacking critics or visceral style. The reader is to understand that Palin’s “penchant” and “style” are facts—because The New York Times tells us they are facts.

A review of public records and interviews with 60 legislators and officials showed that Palin “pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance.” That sounds like pretty harsh stuff in the public records. The wonder is that 80% of Alaskans give Palin high marks.

Apparently the press in Alaska has not bothered to read the same public records these New York Times reporters read. Wouldn’t it be interesting if The New York Times gave an impartial panel a copy of these “records” they reviewed and interview notes to see if such a panel came to the same conclusions as The New York Times?

Of course, The New York Times made an effort to appear objective by stating in the article that “Palin declined to answer questions for this article.” I am not surprised, given that she has a “visceral style.” But then again, it may have been that Governor Palin had an idea that the questions she would be asked would focus on confirming The New York Times’ version of the “facts” and pre-ordained conclusions.

And finally, to show what a thoroughly despicable person Governor Palin is, The New York Times article suggests that Palin misrepresented what state scientists had discovered about supposed ill effects from global warming on polar bears, in an effort to block the listing of polar bears as “threatened” (the Times article got it wrong, saying Palin was trying to block listing the bears as “endangered”, a higher standard than “threatened”) under the Endangered Species Act. In fact, there were a lot of different opinions (not surprising) and, it turns out, Alaska has no “polar bear specialists”, having turned that function over to the federal government.

So, if not all readers were convinced by the conclusions of The New York Times that Palin engaged in “vendettas” and had a “visceral style”, what could be worse than a Republican Governor who stands in the way of polar bears being placed on the “threatened” list of species due to global warming? Has this woman no decency? It almost makes me think that 80% of the people of Alaska have similar “visceral styles” and support “vendettas”. Or could it be that The New York Times is pursuing a vendetta?

Randall H. Nunn

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