I noticed a couple of interesting things about the NY Times’ decision to put its top notch columnists, one of its most valuable resources, behind the firewall.
one a swing to the right.
two a new role for technorati.
Paul Krugman, Maureen O’Dowd, and Bob Herbert all go to town daily on issues concerning the Bush administration’s policy and ethical failures. But now they are behind the for-pay-firewall these vigorous, somewhat left-leaning voices are being dramatically muted. Take away the tough tackling of these voices however, and you’re left with a more softly softly approach to criticism in the paper as a whole.
NY Times editorials are by definition less aggressive in asking the tough questions than those of opinion columnists.
And all of the disastrous decisions around Judith Miller, which basically put the NY Times right in the neocons pocket. Judy Miller to the NY Times: I 0wn You. Jay Rosen lays it out: “What does it mean when the simple act of breaking your own news becomes impossible for the Washington bureau?” The Times on Miller? Its kind of like George Bush’s inquiry on Katrina…
Grey Thoughts agrees:
“when the American people need all the info they can possibly get just to know who in Washington is screwing them at any particular time, the NY Times introduces a format that will greatly reduce the numbers of people who read their op-ed columnists……their LIBERAL op-ed columnists. To me, that looks as fishy as a kippered herring. “
It pains me every day now when I get my email digest of the NY Times, and links to columns I am now not allowed to read. On the other hand – guess what the most popular searches on technorati now are… pretty much every day…
If I was a business executive at the NY Times and I saw these results on Technorati for Dowd, Krugman, Friedman et al, I would be thinking again about the select strategy. [yes I know Friedman is not of the same ilk, but the business issue point still stands, if not the swing to the right]. Either that or the folks at the old grey lady are smarter than we think, and want their copyright to be broken all over the web. Keep your influence up through those that steal the content, but make subscribers that will pay… well, pay.
I wish they could get out from under Miller though. America needs a strong NY Times and its far from that at the moment.
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