Trump Sees 'Last Chance' for The New York Times as New Publisher Takes Over
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the appointment of a new publisher at The New York Times gives the paper one “last chance” to fulfill its founder’s vision.
The Times announced last month that publisher Arthur O. Sulzberger, 66, was stepping down after 25 years at the helm and his son, 37-year-old Arthur Gregg (A.G.) Sulzberger would be taking over, effective Dec. 31, 2017.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday, “The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations!”
He continued, “Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, ‘to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved.’”
Trump then exhorted the paper to, “Get impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent ‘sources,’ and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you won’t have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done!”
Days after Trump’s victory in Nov. 2016, Arthur Sulzberger and The Times editor Dean Baquet wrote a letter to the paper’s readers basically offering a mea culpa for failing to cover the race well.
“As we reflect on the momentous result, and the months of reporting and polling that preceded it, we aim to rededicate ourselves to the fundamental mission of Times journalism,” the two wrote. “That is to report America and the world honestly, without fear or favor, striving always to understand and reflect all political perspectives and life experiences in the stories we bring to you.”
The publisher and editor further pledged, “You can rely on The New York Times to bring the same fairness, the same level of scrutiny, the same independence to our coverage of the new president and his team.”
The Times has been run by the Och-Sulzberger family since its inception in 1896, The Washington Examiner reported.
A.G. Sulzberger becomes the sixth generation from the family to lead the “Gray Lady.”
“This isn’t a goodbye,” Arthur Sulzberger wrote to Times employees in December. “But, beginning in the new year, the grand ship that is The Times will be A.G.’s to steer.”
The younger Sulzberger started working as a deputy publisher a little over a year ago.
“I am a unapologetic champion for this institution and its journalistic mission,” A.G. Sulzberger said. “And I’ll continue to be that as publisher.”
The Times apparently gave special treatment to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s State Department.
WikiLeaks released an email exchange over the weekend that showed a Times reporter offering advanced notice of stories being published to a high ranking official at State in Nov. 2010.
The stories were based on a release of a large cache of diplomatic correspondence by WikiLeaks that month, which came to be known as “Cablegate.”
“The heads-up email was intended to give State (and Clinton) time to come up with some spin for stories that may have caused problems,” The Daily Wire reported.
On the other side of the political ledger, it was The Times that broke the story of Clinton using a private unsecured, unauthorized email server.
Trump gave an impromptu end of the year 30-minute interview to the paper on Saturday during which he addressed a large number of topics including Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and North Korea.
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