Kill-the-Stadium Campaign Continues

Times Tries – and Fails – to Make Jay Cross Look Bad

See, when the pompous The New York Times (they insist you write it that way) wants to smear you, they don’t do it with luridly insinuating tabloid headlines, they package it in an innocent-looking “investigative” story. (New York Times, September 11, 2004)

And if the story has no merit, they bury that vital fact deep in the story. In the case of their stop-the-presses revelation on Sept. 11 that Jets president Jay Cross twice donated $1,000 to the campaign of the chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee, who supports the stadium project, they stuck it in the eighth paragraph (and the Times runs really fat paragraphs), bottom of the page. Here it is.

There is nothing improper about Mr. Cross’s contributions, which represent a small fraction of the $366,000 that Mr. Weprin’s campaign reported having in the bank

Oh, great. But, excuse me, then why did you run this story?

Do you think a man who has 366 thousand dollars can be bought for 1/366 th of that amount? Of course you support the guy who is supporting you. His reelection is a vital element in your fight.

Another tricky thing the Times does with its well-tailored insinuating words. In mentioning the contributions they deliberately fudge the timetable so that you are never clear whether the chicken came first, or the egg. They date the contributions “within days or weeks of the news conference called by Mr. Weprin.” Within two weeks can mean either before or after, and it was probably after, which makes it a small token of appreciation, nothing more.

We don’t fault the reporter who wrote the story for this distortion. When you work for the world’s most powerful newspaper (and the best, by the way), and it has come out on its editorial page as officially opposing the project, you fall in line, if you’re interested in advancing your career.

Final conclusion: My impression is the Times legal department reads this story and quickly picks up the interoffice phone and says, “Hey, there’s no wrong-doing here. You must insert a line making that admission.” – TMcM, Sr

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