I agree completely. With some exceptions the Times columnists are all pretty boring and generally out of touch.
Although, I think “cartoonishly out of touch with his readers” could also be used to describe even stories outside the op-ed pages.
Like the Times recent bashing of the idea that employees can, should or should even want to work from home. The stories like many Times “trend” pieces — are driven by scant data, and quotes from outliers and people with a vested interest in getting people back into the office — like older managers who can’t figure out how to operate in a virtual world.
It’s one example but it’s not hard to find others. Unfortunately.
I'm less worried about the Times, and much more worried about publications like the New York Post and the Boston Herald. Far more people read them, and it takes their editorial columnists far fewer than 20 years to churn out lazy/dangerous content. Of course, that's exactly what they're hired for.
I love this idea. Personally, I feel like opinions and news shouldn't share the same publication, since it often leads to people treating opinions as if they were fact. If they truly generate that much revenue couldn't they be done in their own publication? Maybe with some rotating writers with varying opinions? I don't know. I don't have the answer to this particular problem but limiting their time in the opinion column certainly seems like it would help.
this is all so true, and its why i unsubscribed from the times. and the atlantic. they kept putting out stuff that was really not clear honestly -what- it was supposed to be, but felt opaque and manipulative, and often as you said just nothing but crazy talk... a lot were those 'pandemic shaming' articles right before they forced us to open up everything in july right before this massive surge they caused by doing that..... they were usually disguised as opinion. i felt they were literally 'selling' stories, specifically to pre shame people into thinking the pandemic was over when it definitely wasnt.... there was a huge rash of these kind of 'stories' right before the rushed opening, which seemed an interesting coincidence.
then, some of them actually seemed to be paid commercials for products.. in that same week in both times and atlantic were huge glossy 'opinion' pieces about why everyone really should get botox since pandemics totally over! (that was basically the title of the articles) to see the same utterly dangerous and fake 'opinion' from different people in the same week in both papers was gross and weird.... botox is a dangerous drug with a black box warning. its not something you just casually tell a bunch of people to do like its a spa treatment, which is what they did, really irresponsibly... both papers in the same week! and, the pandemic is not over and was not over in july. theres no data on safety with botox and covid or the vaccinations. i wrote the atlantic and blasted them over that and unsubscribed.
im not saying anything bad about the free press & nyt has done some good work and i guess the atlantic occasionally, but i get tired reading obvoiusly planted commercials for stuff rich people want me to do or buy or believe, and definitely tired of the 'confused by sandwich' condescension...... (he couldnt have introduced his friend to something new? he had to just get her out of there to something that 'poor people understand'? wtf) the new york times has really gone downhill with this. its turning into a fetish for those at the top of this k shaped recovery. they are gloating in it while they make profits off literal death of americans. i think its almost like they are reveling in it and backhanded insulting the rest of america... like dog whistling for racists. and you can always find someone to say 'hey this is all fine'. i dont know about five years, but basically, these out of touch, possibly commercialised 'opinion' sections.. do nothing but get clicks from one side or the other, thats all they are there for, theres so rarely an opinion of worth, theres so much thats literally damaging, and ive been over it for some time now.
I agree completely. With some exceptions the Times columnists are all pretty boring and generally out of touch.
Although, I think “cartoonishly out of touch with his readers” could also be used to describe even stories outside the op-ed pages.
Like the Times recent bashing of the idea that employees can, should or should even want to work from home. The stories like many Times “trend” pieces — are driven by scant data, and quotes from outliers and people with a vested interest in getting people back into the office — like older managers who can’t figure out how to operate in a virtual world.
It’s one example but it’s not hard to find others. Unfortunately.
I'm less worried about the Times, and much more worried about publications like the New York Post and the Boston Herald. Far more people read them, and it takes their editorial columnists far fewer than 20 years to churn out lazy/dangerous content. Of course, that's exactly what they're hired for.
I love this idea. Personally, I feel like opinions and news shouldn't share the same publication, since it often leads to people treating opinions as if they were fact. If they truly generate that much revenue couldn't they be done in their own publication? Maybe with some rotating writers with varying opinions? I don't know. I don't have the answer to this particular problem but limiting their time in the opinion column certainly seems like it would help.
this is all so true, and its why i unsubscribed from the times. and the atlantic. they kept putting out stuff that was really not clear honestly -what- it was supposed to be, but felt opaque and manipulative, and often as you said just nothing but crazy talk... a lot were those 'pandemic shaming' articles right before they forced us to open up everything in july right before this massive surge they caused by doing that..... they were usually disguised as opinion. i felt they were literally 'selling' stories, specifically to pre shame people into thinking the pandemic was over when it definitely wasnt.... there was a huge rash of these kind of 'stories' right before the rushed opening, which seemed an interesting coincidence.
then, some of them actually seemed to be paid commercials for products.. in that same week in both times and atlantic were huge glossy 'opinion' pieces about why everyone really should get botox since pandemics totally over! (that was basically the title of the articles) to see the same utterly dangerous and fake 'opinion' from different people in the same week in both papers was gross and weird.... botox is a dangerous drug with a black box warning. its not something you just casually tell a bunch of people to do like its a spa treatment, which is what they did, really irresponsibly... both papers in the same week! and, the pandemic is not over and was not over in july. theres no data on safety with botox and covid or the vaccinations. i wrote the atlantic and blasted them over that and unsubscribed.
im not saying anything bad about the free press & nyt has done some good work and i guess the atlantic occasionally, but i get tired reading obvoiusly planted commercials for stuff rich people want me to do or buy or believe, and definitely tired of the 'confused by sandwich' condescension...... (he couldnt have introduced his friend to something new? he had to just get her out of there to something that 'poor people understand'? wtf) the new york times has really gone downhill with this. its turning into a fetish for those at the top of this k shaped recovery. they are gloating in it while they make profits off literal death of americans. i think its almost like they are reveling in it and backhanded insulting the rest of america... like dog whistling for racists. and you can always find someone to say 'hey this is all fine'. i dont know about five years, but basically, these out of touch, possibly commercialised 'opinion' sections.. do nothing but get clicks from one side or the other, thats all they are there for, theres so rarely an opinion of worth, theres so much thats literally damaging, and ive been over it for some time now.
This is an outstanding idea.