It’s incredibly rare to encounter a newspaper, or broadcaster, prepared to apply the same scrutiny to itself that it routinely subjects to others. And herein may lie a clue to The Times’s institutional strength.
Yes, the paper could be staid and stuffy at times. Yes, it had an almost hubristic sense of self-importance. Yes, it was slow to change. But its publishers, flawed as they were, invested in journalism at a time when others were taking an ax to newsrooms. Its senior editors believed in the craft of journalism and had high ethical standards. There was, for the most part, a separation of news and commentary. The relentless pursuit of profit and clicks, or traffic, was alien to the culture.
And so, by the end of this narrative, in 2016, just after Trump’s election to the White House, The New York Times has successfully weathered many storms and is, by and large, battle-hardened for the tests that lie ahead. In singling out The Times as “a true ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE,” Trump unwittingly threw the paper a lifeline, with 6.5 million digital subscribers by 2020 preferring its version of the truth to the president’s.
Nagourney tells the story with restrained skill, including 53 pages of endnotes to support his narrative. It is, if you like, a history of kings and queens, and some readers might have wished to hear more from the foot soldiers. But it’s an important story. Thirty years into the digital revolution, we now have a clear idea of how to destroy or hollow out news organizations, and how to create the sort of information chaos where no one knows what to believe or whom to trust.
The New York Times, rooted in the wealthiest city in the world and with its family ownership structure, cannot provide a playbook for all its peers. But, notwithstanding the slips along the way, its quality and resilience are still a beacon to many. Which, given all the likely challenges in the future, is just as well.
THE TIMES: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism | By Adam Nagourney | Illustrated | 563 pp. | Crown | $35
