Posted on 06/26/2005 12:19:02 PM PDT by Pikamax
Keller Says 'N.Y. Times' Must Look Beyond Its Urban, Liberal Base
By E&P Staff
Published: June 26, 2005 3:00 PM ET
NEW YORK In a lengthy memo published the newspaper's Web site, Bil Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, announced several new policies in response to a recent report by the paper's Credibility Committee. Among them is a fresh attempt to diversify the Times' staff and viewpoints, and not in the usual racial or gender ways, but in political, religious and cultural areas as well.
The aim, he wrote, is "to stretch beyond our predominantly urban, culturally liberal orientation, to cover the full range of our national conversation."
The point, Keller wrote, "is not that we should begin recruiting reporters and editors for their political outlook; it is part of our professional code that we keep our political views out of the paper. The point is that we want a range of experience. We have a recruiting committee that tracks promising outside candidates, and that committee has already begun to consider ways to enrich the variety of backgrounds of our reporters and editors.
"First and foremost we hire the best reporters, editors, photographers and artists in the business. But we will make an extra effort to focus on diversity of religious upbringing and military experience, of region and class."
Keller said there had already been successes, namely, the coverage of conservatives by David Kirkpatrick and Jason DeParle, and a number of recent Magazine pieces. "I intend to keep pushing us in this direction," Keller declared.
He also said that he endorsed the committee’s recommendation "that we cover religion more extensively.... This is important to us not because we want to appease believers or pander to conservatives, but because good journalism entails understanding more than just the neighborhood you grew up in."
E&P will cover other aspects of Keller's memo on Monday.
Dan Rather onced declared the NY Times a "middle of the road" newspaper.
That alone speaks volumes.
Maureen Dowd hahahahahaha!
Frank Rich hahahahahahaa!!!!!!!
Must hurt when those circulation figures go down. Even effete liberal snobs need to eat.
“A blog is still a view of the world through a pinhole,” he said, noting that it can sometimes fall as low as being a “one man circle jerk.”
Bill Keller 2/17/05
The last Republican they (NYT) endorsed for President was in 1956.
Congressman Billybob
Would it ever occur to them to simply print the facts and let their biases remain on the editorial pages where we can agree or disagree.
That pretty much says it all.
Do ALL newspapers have a credibility committee?
LOL
You can just tell he understands the Slimes' real problem.
The cancer is incurable and terminal.
"All the News that's been Fitted for Fools"!
Sure. They could invite Frances Kissling to write about Catholics. Maybe some clintonoid from Little Rock could represent the Evangelicals. Ward Churchill could speak for flyover country. Then they could get . . . .
Sounds like he wants the reporters to take dangerous field trips into the uncivilized red states.
Well, I'm not sure they'd make it out alive. One of the funniest things I've ever red about the urban blues.
Put it this way. On Father's Day the Times ran:
-A huge article about the movement to ban gay marriage with a magazine front page photo of two just married lesbians kissing.
-and another big fluff piece in the Style section on metrosexuals and straights being seen as identical based on style.
It was so in your face it made me laugh as I just happened to be given a copy. I dropped my subscription in 2002.
My feelings aren't as harsh as yours (maybe because I don't know the players as well as you do). Nevertheless, I think we all know how this movement to broaden their appeal is going to work out -- there is no chance whatsoever that it will succeed.
Right ... why is it the name Jason Blair comes to mind when I read this disingenuous NY Times BS?
That was great, thanks! I've met urbanites like these up here in the "wilds" of New England. Years ago, I was at a wild game supper put on by a church in a small Vermont town. The folks sitting next to me had driven up from Manhattan. When the church lady came 'round to explain what was on the menu, the New Yorkers asked her for the wine list!
I'd still rather view reality through a whole lot of pinholes than to depend on it being related to me by someone with a known agenda.
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