New York Times Has a Scoop: Conservatism Exists

NewsMax ^ | 1/28/04 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

The long rise of America's conservative movement has finally caught the attention of the New York Times. The worried Old Gray Lady is assigning a full-time correspondent to spend the next year on discovering what mischief the right is up to.

The move is a turnabout for the Times, which has always looked down its nose at conservatives and preferred to pretend they don't exist. After all, they don't exist in the rarefied little world of the Times' movers and shakers.

According to the New York Observer's "Off the Record" feature, David Kirkpatrick, who had been covering the book industry, will now cover conservatives as conservatives, and not as part of the GOP or the Bush administration.

Jim Roberts, the Times' national editor, says Kirkpatrick "will examine conservative forces in religion, politics, law, business and the media — a job that will take him across the country and make him a frequent presence in Washington."

"His coverage will cut across the political campaigns this season, but we expect that much of what he does will transcend the race itself and delve into the issues and personalities that drive — and sometimes divide — conservatives."

The Times' state of mind emerged with executive editor Bill Keller's comment that he "winced a little when I read that job announcement, because it was a little like ‘The New York Times discovers this strange, alien species called conservatives,’ and that’s not what this is about."

The Wall Street Journal's editorial page editor, Paul Gigot, told the Observer: "Maybe they figured out that’s where the intellectual energy in this country is coming from. Maybe they could save time and read us. Cut out the middleman."

[LLBeet]

If only it could discover the truth or the facts and assign their staff to cover them.

[VaBthang4]

Wish I werent so cynical but prolly nothing more than a fulltime smear correspondent who'll write about all of the Guns and Bibles laying around willy nilly.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

It has always struck me as odd when someone places these in breaking... or adds to keywords and fails to post.

[goldstategop]

I'm shocked to discover the NYT thinks we deserve our own full-time correspondent from the Gray Lady. Good luck on a liberal journalist covering us objectively.

[Oberon]

...Guns and Bibles laying around willy nilly.

Ah, but of the two, the Bible is far more dangerous, at least in the historical sense.

[kidd]

Jim Roberts, the Times' national editor, says Kirkpatrick "will examine conservative forces in religion, politics, law, business and the media — a job that will take him across the country and make him a frequent presence in Washington."

Then this assignment will fail. Conservatism is mostly outside of Washington. And conservatism is not a force, its a philosophy.

The NYT will continue to be fishwrap and cage liner.

[ozzymandus]

"Fulltime smear" would be my guess, too.

[Camachee]

Conservatism is mostly outside of Washington. And conservatism is not a force, its a philosophy.

Well said.

[VaBthang4]

I doubt anything in life is more dangerous than incompetence.

[Ditto]

If only it could discover the truth or the facts and assign their staff to cover them.

The Slimes has proven that it has very little interest in truth or facts.

[Republic]

And that would be my guess, too.

The NYT has been able to get away with its odious bias for a long, long time. Times are 'a-changin', methinks the depravity and degradation of the in your face clintonian era brought the conservative monster out in many of us. The hibernation is over. Eventually, the NYT, just like the major TV networks already have, is going to feel the pinch of financial loss if this publication refuses to provide balanced coverage.

I ABOUT FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR, when listening to an interview of Mel Gibson the other day (an interview with Mr. Arroyo, (sp) on a cable station called 'the world over', regarding his upcoming movie about the 'Passion of Christ'), upon hearing Mel call the NYT..."that rag"

LOL.

The truth just has a way of smacking ya in the face!

GO MEL!

[Nonstatist]

issues and personalities that drive — and sometimes divide — conservatives."

With emphasis on the latter, I would guess. No business covering the opposition unless you can promote dissension... They are so pathetically transparent and partisan...

[Thebaddog]

They think that one correspondent can cover 65% of the country and can encapsulate it into one glib statement. How about turning it around and admitting that the rest of the group covers the liberals point of view.

[Uncle Hal]

I wonder what the slant will be as the NT Times covers these so called conservatives? It will be strictly from the lefts viewpoint. Sort of like covering hillbillies that come to the big city. More of a curiosity type thing.

[The Old Hoosier]

I saw this reporter at CPAC.

[catonsville]

More like The National Geographic covering the subjects of some forgotten backwater Amazon country. Sympathetic, but the natives still have a long way to go to be civilized.

[Bulldog1967]

Yeah, it exists.....just not at the Whitehouse!

[NYCVirago]

"His coverage will cut across the political campaigns this season, but we expect that much of what he does will transcend the race itself and delve into the issues and personalities that drive — and sometimes divide — conservatives."

Here's the whole reason why the Times has devoted a reporter to covering conservatives -- so that they can find every last Bush-basher and make it look like there is huge dissension in the ranks against Bush.