IS THE NEW YORK TIMES THE ARBITER OF TASTE AND CULTURE IN NEW YORK? John Gapper has an article in the Financial Times today which discusses a quote which I linked to last week. Gapper says, “…the New York Times rules. As Jill Abramson, its managing editor, put it snootily last month: ‘We are the central arbiter of taste and culture in New York City.’” Gapper argues that the New York Times has power in reviewing restaurants (and plays) in New York, but that bloggers may be eroding that power and that “As a diner and film goer, I like this because it provides a free market in opinion.” But Gapper says that “Ms. Abramson was right.” That is, the New York Times is the arbiter of taste and culture in New York.
Categories
Archives
Recent Comments
- “A COMFORT BLANKET FOR THE SMUG”? (1)
- Nick: Further informing my perspective was that in the writings of classical Romans the middle-aged authors opined...
- ARE PEOPLE LESS VIOLENT? (COMMENT). (2)
- Dick Weisfelder: My prior comment was just in the context of sports. Whether or not from Pinker, I have seen the...
- erik: It seems doubtful that human nature has changed. The most likely explanation would be that modern culture gives...
- HOW BANKS PREPARED FOR A U.S. DEFAULT. (2)
- GREECE’S ADVANTAGE IN THE CHICKEN GAME. (2)
- Nick: That makes sense. It reminds me of the stories Pater Familias would tell me about how in Boston the person with...
- Dick Weisfelder: Greece seems to me to be playing a game that Karl Deutsch called “underdog.” While one...
- FOOTBALL PLAYERS DELIBERATELY CAUSING CONCUSSIONS? (3)
- Nick: It was my understanding that boxing gloves were to protect the puncher’s hands and not the...
- Dick Weisfelder: Remember the Roman arenas? Bare knuckled boxing? Such injuries were taken as natural and accepted in...
- Mary Jane Schaefer: This isn’t about football. Or even sportsmanship. Well, it is about sportsmanship. But what...
- A 25 % CHANCE OF A EURO DEFAULT? (1)
- Nick: The fact that this has gone on for so long is pretty perplexing. The Economist is referring back to articles it...
- DECIDING WHAT KIND OF PATIENT YOU ARE. (1)
- Dick Weisfelder: One can be very open to new technology, but also risk averse. The recent debates about how to...
- “A COMFORT BLANKET FOR THE SMUG”? (1)
Meta
The way Abramson phrases that, it sounds to me like the royal we. (I know it’s not, but that’s what came to mind.) I wonder if there could be some fun comparisons made between the New York Times and the monarchs of old. After all, Queen Elizabeth I was pretty much the arbiter of taste in London at her time, considering Shakespeare wrote plays to please her. Same with James and the plays of the Jacobean period, as I recall.
Mr. Familias has pointed out to me that Shakespeare took some awful chances writing plays for court that could be construed as politically incorrect.