Hooray for the Times; Shame on the Times
Since the New York Times broke the spying story, there have been a number of smaller revelations that I’d like to write about. The first is the muffled announcement that the Tines sat on this story for over a year. That means, they knew about this before the 2004 election, and held it to play politics. On Dec. 6, 2005, President Bush summoned publisher Arthur Sulzberger and executive editor Bill Keller to the White House and asked them to withhold the story.
The day it finally made it to print, the Senate was scheduled to vote on a reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act. Senators were waiving copies of the Times above their heads, decrying the unconstitutional actions of the Bush administration. They are right to do so. But what does that say of the Times?
This government stands upon three pillars. The barrier between government and the public is the press. We are the watchdogs that hold officials to the law, and make them accountable to the public. A free press is commonly accepted to be one of the most important aspects of a democracy. The media is, in a sense, the fourth pillar.
But the Times is really flexing its muscle on this one. To hold a story of such importance for so long is almost traitorous! Where is the loyalty to the readers? What about their obligation to inform the public of the truth in a time of national debate? The story was ready before the 2004 election. I see no justification for such a delay.
The Times has both done a great service and a great disservice to the people of this country. They got the story, but fell victim to the temptations of power at the cost of public trust. That is no situation for any newspaper to put its self in.
