The New York Times ad revenue declined a stunning 3.2% in August.
Their shares set new 52 week lows two days in a row in September.
With this in mind...
The Old Gray Lady today admitted finally that it gave the liberal democratic group MoveOn.org a discount ($64,575) on its disgusting "Petraeus-Traitor" ad.
The NY Times also admitted that it did not give the same price to conservative Freedom's Watch but charged them full price ($142,083)- more than twice the amount that they charged the liberal democratic group!
The New York Times reported today:
President George W. Bush called the ad “disgusting.” The Senate, controlled by Democrats, voted overwhelmingly to condemn the ad.The Old Gray Lady has some explaining to do.
Vice President Dick Cheney said the charges in the ad, “provided at subsidized rates in The New York Times” were “an outrage.” Thomas Davis III, a Republican congressman from Virginia, demanded a House investigation. The American Conservative Union filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission against MoveOn.org and The New York Times Company. FreedomsWatch.org, a group recently formed to support the war, asked me to investigate because it said it wasn’t offered the same terms for a response ad that MoveOn.org got.
Did MoveOn.org get favored treatment from The Times? And was the ad outside the bounds of acceptable political discourse?
The answer to the first question is that MoveOn.org paid what is known in the newspaper industry as a standby rate of $64,575 that it should not have received under Times policies. The group should have paid $142,083. The Times had maintained for a week that the standby rate was appropriate, but a company spokeswoman told me late Thursday afternoon that an advertising sales representative made a mistake.
The answer to the second question is that the ad appears to fly in the face of an internal advertising acceptability manual that says, “We do not accept opinion advertisements that are attacks of a personal nature.” Steph Jespersen, the executive who approved the ad, said that, while it was “rough,” he regarded it as a comment on a public official’s management of his office and therefore acceptable speech for The Times to print.
The fact that The New York Times would just happen to make this "mistake" on the very day that the general in charge of Operation Iraqi Freedom is to testify in Congress about the significant gains in Iraq makes this admission even more troubling.
This is a very serious violation of trust by The New York Times.
Kudos to Bob Owens for catching this awful misdeed.
UPDATE: Roger Simon wonders how deep the intstitutional bias goes in the paper's structure.
UPDATE 2: MTC corrects MoveOn in their attacks on Rudy.
off topic:
ReplyDelete"Ahmadinejad is scheduled to speak at Columbia University tomorrow and
there are already news trucks lined up on Broadway. Protesters are
getting ready for a rally, and there are pictures of hangings and
people who have been lashed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Bollinger states:
"On Monday, September 24, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, is scheduled to appear as a speaker on campus. The event is sponsored
by the School of International and Public Affairs (see SIPA announcement), which has been in contact
with the Iranian Mission to the United Nations. The event will be part of the
annual World Leaders Forum, the University-wide initiative intended to further
Columbia’s longstanding tradition of serving as a major forum for robust debate,
especially on global issues.
In order to have such a University-wide forum, we have insisted that a number
of conditions be met, first and foremost that President Ahmadinejad agree to
divide his time evenly between delivering remarks and responding to audience
questions. I also wanted to be sure the Iranians understood that I would myself
introduce the event with a series of sharp challenges to the president on issues
including:
the Iranian president’s denial of the Holocaust;
his public call for the destruction of the State of Israel;
his reported support for international terrorism that targets innocent civilians and American troops;
Iran's pursuit of nuclear ambitions in opposition to international sanction;
his government's widely documented suppression of civil society and particularly of women's rights; and
his government's imprisoning of journalists and scholars, including one of Columbia’s own alumni,
Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh (see President Bollinger's statement on Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh's release).
To read his entire comment go to: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/07/09/ahmadinejad2.html
Despite his statement, many people are up in arms and horrified that Ahmadinejad has been extended an invitation. There is a Jewish protester right in front of the main gates on 116th and Broadway with a poster showing Ahmadinejad and the words "Go to Hell."
I would think that the people who despise him the most would be happy that he has been invited to be challenged. If he is an evil person, then shedding light on to his evilness is a good thing. Ignoring him is not the solution, dialogue is necessary to break barriers and create change.
The Columbia Iranian Student's Association made this statement:
I. CISA EXECUTIVE BOARD Statement – 9/22/07
The Columbia Iranian Students' Association (CISA) is a non-political
and non-religious organization that is open to all members of the
Columbia University community and the community at-large, regardless
of race, ethnicity, or religion. The purpose of CISA is to organize
functions, meetings and other events that promote awareness,
understanding, and appreciation of Iranian history,culture and
traditions.
As a point of clarification, the invitation extended to President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was extended by the University, not CISA. CISA
is comprised of individuals with various opinions and beliefs. Our
Association supports organized and constructive discourse and debate
in an academic setting. Regarding this specific event, our
organization's focus is to support the united students' efforts to
provide a safe and productive outlet for the expression of students'
views.
CISA would also like to take this opportunity to remind our
community that many Iranian students on our campus are being placed
in a sensitive position. CISA would like to ask all members of our
community to be respectful of our peers and not make assumptions
about their personal, political, or philosophical perspectives
based on their race, ethnicity, or national origin both today and
everyday.
Lastly, we would like to remind the Iranian community that we are
always available and that you should feel free to reach out to us
with any concerns or for any support you might need.
II. On Monday, a non-partisan group of students, the Columbia
Coalition is organizing a forum for student groups and individuals to express their views in ten-minute slots at a podium on Low Plaza. This will be starting at 11:30am and going until 5:30pm (with a gap during the actual event from
1:30-2:30pm). The campus will only be open to Columbia affiliates
on Monday, if you would like to attend the forum please remember
your CUID. If you would like the opportunity to speak at the forum,
send an email to the Coalition (although do not assume you have a
slot until you receive confirmaton).
III. CISA will be holding a discussion section for Columbia students
on Monday at 6:00pm in 569 Lerner. This will be a safe and
comfortable environment for any of you who want to express your
opinions and feelings to each other."
http://iranian.com/main/blog/hope/news-release-ahmadinejad-columbia-university
Please write your comments on that site and express your outrage.
++
ReplyDeletere: serendip @ 10:17 AM quick links..
President Bollinger's Statement
The Columbia Iranian Student's Association
==
Since we're talking about fringe groups going too far -
ReplyDeleteWhen will the Republicans denounce the extremist group Values Voters? At the Presidential debate the group held for GOP candidates this week, event organizers invited the Church of God Choir, from Springfield, Ohio, to sing "God Bless America" -- except the lyrics were rewritten. Instead of a song about "the land that I love," and "home sweet home," this version condemns the country, saying we've all turned against God, and that He won't bless us.
Twisting and distorting the words of "God Bless America" is disgusting and an insult to all Americans. The GOP should be ashamed for supporting a fringe group like Values Voters.
The "gray lady" should henceforth be known as the grimy slut. The owners of that rag publish national secrets without shame, and disregard any notion of journalistic integrity. Their continued anti-American editorial policy, and enthusiastic embrace of, and collusion with, the enemies of freedom will hopefully ensure the grimy slut's demise...and soon....sheesh.
ReplyDelete