The New York Times and Alito: Journalistic Schizophrenia

A few days ago I noted that The Times, news and editorial pages had performed reasonably well during the Alito nomination. The few days since then have been rather peculiar, however.

The Times editorial page has continued to oppose Alito in very strong editorials. Yesterday, the editorial page even seemed unmistakably to call for a filibuster, although the editorial also seemed bathed in a tone of hopelessness, because of what the newspaper sees as Democrats, spinelessness. (The editorial is even entitled Senators in Need of a Spine.) But, regardless of its "bath tone," the editorial, i.e., the newspaper, plainly did call for a filibuster because Alito poses such a threat of helping to create a presidential dictatorship. (The phrase is mine, but the sentiment pervades The Times, editorial.)

But while The Times, editorials come out four square against Alito, the news pages don,t even cover what is going on. There is no story, absolutely no story, in today,s news pages about it. A few days ago there likewise was virtually nothing in the news pages on the matter. Meanwhile, The Times, (I think wholly owned) subsidiary, The Boston Globe, does carry stories on its news pages. And when The Times, news pages do carry a story on the nomination, the paper never seems to miss a chance to say that Alito,s confirmation is assured. (Indeed, while there is no news story in today,s Times about the Alito nomination, a very long story on Bush,s forthcoming State of the Union address contains a single sentence (on p. A18) that says the nomination was handled smoothly, and on the same page is a huge picture of Alito meeting with Republican Senators who, the caption says, "congratulated him on winning a recommendation of confirmation from the Senate Judiciary Committee.") The Times, constant refrain that confirmation is certain can only, of course, increase the chance that Democrats and conceivably even some potential Republicans will not filibuster or abstain from voting against a filibuster. Why should they filibuster or abstain from voting against one when the newspaper of record repeatedly assures them -- makes a point of repeatedly telling them -- that such action would be hopeless because confirmation is assured. And nowhere on the news pages, of course, does one find significant information, or even any information, about the efforts of people who are trying to encourage a filibuster. (Obviously, the people who make news judgements for The Times think that a huge picture -- what the accompanying caption conceded was "a photo opportunity" -- of Alito meeting with congratulatory Republican Senators is more important than information about efforts of those who might be against the nomination.

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