The Homa Files

“The paper of record is, more and more, the record of those living in a distant galaxy”
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Bari Weiss, a high-profile editor and writer for the New York Times opinion section, resigned Monday, citing what she said was unchecked bullying from colleagues and depicting the news organization as a place where the free exchange of ideas was no longer welcome. Source

Ms. Weiss bills herself as a non-ideological centrist.  A position that seems to be borne out in media reactions to her resignation.

Liberal media sentiment: “Good riddance”; Conservative media: “Nice try, Dani”.

What’s noteworthy is the scathing resignation letter that Ms. Weiss wrote and published online.

Here are some snippets….

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Excerpted from Dani Weiss’ resignation letter:

“I was hired with the goal of bringing in voices that would not otherwise appear in the Times: centrists, conservatives and others who would not naturally think of The Times as their home.”

The reason for this effort was clear: The paper’s failure to anticipate the outcome of the 2016 election meant that it didn’t have a firm grasp of the country it covers.

But the lessons that ought to have followed the election — lessons about the importance of understanding other Americans, the necessity of resisting tribalism, and the centrality of the free exchange of ideas to a democratic society — have not been learned.

Instead, a new consensus has emerged in the press, especially at this paper: that truth isn’t a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else.

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The Times itself has increasingly become a kind of performance space.

The paper of record is, more and more, the record of those living in a distant galaxy, one whose concerns are profoundly removed from the lives of most people.

Stories are chosen and told in a way to satisfy the narrowest of audiences, rather than to allow a curious public to read about the world and then draw their own conclusions.

Any piece published that does not explicitly promote progressive causes, it happens only after every line is carefully massaged, negotiated and caveated.

Now, even history itself is one more ephemeral thing molded to fit the needs of a predetermined narrative.

Why challenge our readers, or write something bold … when we can assure ourselves of job security (and clicks) by publishing our 4000th op-ed arguing that Donald Trump is a unique danger to the country and the world?

Americans still hunger for news that is accurate, opinions that are vital, and debate that is sincere.

America is a great country that deserves a great newspaper.

Nice try, Dani.

This entry was posted on July 15, 2020 at 9:30 am and is filed under COVID-19 Tracking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.