Press Criticism

“Taxmageddon”? No, just a reprise of giving in to hostage-takers
Press Criticism | By Craig Gurian | Politics, Taxes
A New York Times piece suggests that unprecedented tax hikes for all Americans may be coming in January. In fact, what we have is essentially a rerun of 2010. The central question once again: will President Obama stand up to the GOP and allow tax rates on the wealthiest Americans to return, as scheduled, to their Clinton-era levels? More
The New Yorker's woefully lacking profile of NYC mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn
Press Criticism | By Craig Gurian | Legislation, NYC, Politics
Lots of anecdotes to show that the City Council Speaker is down to earth, but little of substance. When you leave out the fact that Quinn runs the Council undemocratically, thwarts the will of voters, and serves the interests of the one percent, you don't have much of a profile. More
BlackRock good; public employee pensions bad
Press Criticism | By Craig Gurian | Corporate influence, Labor, Pensions, Role of government
Two recent articles in The New York Times ignore altogether the need for a critical approach. In one, a front-pager billed as a news article, the reporter could easily be mistaken for a member of BlackRock's public relations team. In the other, the reporter treated with contempt the idea that workers deserve to have bargained-for pensions benefits honored. More
NYT/CBS survey sticks with worst poll question in history
Press Criticism | By Craig Gurian | Politics
Apparently enamored of the virtues of "compromise" regardless of circumstance, the poll might just have well have asked: “Should officials in the two parties act like adults in order to get the country’s business accomplished, or should they insist on all their silly ‘positions’ — like kindergarteners throwing tantrums — as we watch effective governance grind to a halt?” More
NYT D.C. coverage: will this season be tactic-obsessed, centrist and consensus loving, or...newsy?
Press Criticism | By Craig Gurian | Politics
In the spring, Remapping Debate began a project to illustrate the scope of the centrism-is-always-the-answer problem that has marred New York Times Washington coverage. We started with an emphasis on the practice of having reporter opinions and assumptions neatly tucked into a story as though they were facts, and we've found that there are similar debate-constricting problems that recur as well. We're back on the beat, and the first find is a piece where substantive coverage is swamped by an obsession with tactics. More
NYT celebrates lower wages
Press Criticism | By Craig Gurian | Employment, Labor
Chrysler employees, we are given to understand, are thrilled to be working in the auto industry, even if they are forced to accept wages much lower than their colleagues. What do we learn about what this means for their lives? Nothing. More
NYT D.C. Bureau: still yearning for moderation and compromise
Press Criticism | By Craig Gurian | Politics
In other words, a little from column A and a little from column B. By stubbornly resisting the possibility that one faction's prescription (even a liberal Democratic or a Tea Party Republican one) can sometimes be correct to the exclusion of all other options, formula replaces reporting. Remapping Debate has an ongoing project to illustrate the scope of the centrism-is-always-the-answer problem. We started with an emphasis on the practice of having reporter opinions and assumptions neatly tucked into a story as though they were facts, and we've found that there are similar debate-constricting problems that recur as well. More
NYT: still wearing its politics on its newsroom sleeve
Press Criticism | By Craig Gurian | Politics
National political reporters for the New York Times appear to have trouble resisting the lure of always seeing the political center as being "reasonable" and "practical." And it impairs their work. Remapping Debate is documenting the scope of the problem — illustratively, not comprehensively. We started with an emphasis on the practice of having reporter opinions and assumptions neatly tucked into a story as though they were facts, and we've found that there are similar debate-constricting problems that recur as well. More

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