Sucking less than your competition is not much to aspire to. It says it is ok to be slack, to suck, just as long as you don't suck too badly. Well, there you go, that would explain a lot of the NYT so-called "journalism." {snort} They obviously feel it is ok to suck, and they do.
It’s my understanding that a large number of the Times’ staff are known to suck quite a bit!