Key insights from
The Gray Lady Winked: How the New York Times's Misreporting, Distortions and Fabrications Radically Alter History
What you'll learn
Ashley Rindsberg’s investigation of New York Times reporting over the past century-plus began when he came across a Times headline from the 1930s reporting that “Poland Invades Germany.” It was not intended to be more than an in-passing mention in a history book, but it floored Rindsberg. Though a longtime reader of the Times and an admirer of the paper’s original charter (“To give news impartially, without fear or favor”), Rindsberg’s exploration of the syndicate has led him to the conclusion that The New York Times dynasty is less concerned with facts than spinning narratives that preserve and promote its clout and financial interests. According to Rindsberg, the costs of the Times’ habitual and intentional misreporting over the past century are incalculably high.
Key insights
- • What you'll learn
- 1 Like any dynasty, the New York Times began with a lofty vision that descendants have failed to uphold.
- 2 Throughout Hitler’s ascendancy and World War II, the Times bought into and effectively broadcasted Nazi propaganda.
- 3 William Duranty’s airbrushing Soviet slaughter and starvation out of his reports might have extended Soviet longevity and oppression by decades.
- 4 The NYT’s backing of the 1619 Project, even in the face of glaring inaccuracies and pressure from both sides, shows ideology more than objectivity.
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