The NYT’s curious photo essay
The Monday of the week before election day in 2004, the New York Times ran the story of Al Qa Qaa munitions dump, where it was said that 380 tons of high explosives were spirited away under the noses of the clueless US military. The story was meant to influence the election; it was, however, blown away within 24 hours.
Today, the MSM accounts of the 100th US soldier killed this month in Iraq are explicitly linked to politics, occurring “a week before U.S. elections in which President George W. Bush’s Republicans could lose control of Congress over his policies in Iraq.” On this Monday a week before the election, the NYT has chosen to publish a photo essay of military funerals at Arlington National Cemetary. We are 100% in favor of a tribute to Americans serving our country in the military, and of commemorating those who have sacrificed all so that we can be free. But is it unfair to question the timing of the NYT’s story and its motivations, given its anti-war and anti-military history, and its overt desire to influence election outcomes?
Also, given the history of the NYT in using, phony, doctored, staged or miscaptioned photos in its stories, is it inappropriate of us to ask if the photo above was altered to highlight two tombstones of very recent deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan? Is it inappropriate to ask whether the Times photo essay is any tribute at all, or something else entirely?
October 30th, 2006 at 8:29 am
[...] Hang Right Politics, Freedom Eden has EXPLOITING THE FALLEN, and Dinocrat has The NYT’s curious photo essay [...]
October 30th, 2006 at 9:08 am
While their intentions are probably questionable, they do not yet have the ability to influence the eyes through which we see events. Their intent may have been to sway my beliefs about the appropriateness and need for the Iraq War, but when I look at that photo the exact opposite occurs: it strengthens my resolve to not allow those treasonous bastards to lose another war for us with their repetitous drumbeat of negativity, thereby wasting the sacrifice in lives that we have paid to change the dangerous situation over there.
October 30th, 2006 at 10:51 am
The following is from Editor & Publisher, dated today, and linked on Drudge.
NEW YORK The Audit Bureau of Circulations FAS-FAX report for the six-month period ending September 2006 released this morning confirmed yet again that major metros are struggling to show growth. The losses are steep while the gains are meager…
This is the fourth consecutive semi-annual report to register a severe drop in daily circulation and — perhaps more troubling to the industry — Sunday copies…
The New York Times lost 3.5% daily to 1,086,798 and 3.5% on Sunday to 1,623,697.