Saturday, September 25, 2010

Arthur Gregg Sulzberger

It's not the article that caught my attention ("Voters Moving to Oust Judges Over Decisions"), but the byline: A.G. SULZBERGER. That would be Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, the son of Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. and heir-apparent to the publishing throne at the New York Times. This interests me since for all the anger and outrage at the far-left agenda at the Old Gray Lady, the paper still remains the county's most famed publishing institution. I've hammered the Times repeatedly --- getting fuming mad in the process --- and even forced a correction a couple of months back. But I still admire some of the journalism over there. I've recently been reminded of what good old-fashioned journalism can be like, and could still be like, in some recent reporting at the Times. On September 11, the Times published a fascinating article on the resurgence of German nationalism and the implications for the EU: "German Identity, Long Dormant, Reasserts Itself." Then just the other day the Times published a related piece on Germany that added a potentially troubling element to the tide of nationalism: "Right-Wing Sentiment, Ready to Burst Its Dam." This adds up to an interesting theme that some folks might not notice. But putting aside the paper's left-wing bias, it's not unrealistic to reconsider the reemergence of "The German Problem" in international relations, which is coming just as stresses on the EURO have raised questions about the fate of the European Union — The Wall Street Journal, a better newspaper in my opinion, wrote on this yesterday, "On the Secret Committee to Save the Euro, a Dangerous Divide". In any case, the Times is facing financial turmoil right now. Circulation revenue is declining (despite an increase in ad sales) and the senior Sulzberger recently conceded that the Times may be forced to cease print operations sometime in the next few years. So look for interesting days for the New York Times. A.G. Sulzberger is about 29 years-old. The torch will pass. Perhaps he's got the youthful mojo to keep the flame alive.

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