The irony is inescapable here I would say. Jill Abramson spent her whole life dedicating herself to the news. It seems that she knew early on that not only was she going to in the media business, but was going to be running it. From her first big position at The Harvard Independent as the arts editor to her ultimate position as executive editor of The New York Times, Abramson has been acting as a gatekeeper to the information we receive in the U.S.A.
When you have the final say on what is and is not news, and by extension truth, you had better know what you are doing right?
There are quite a few people who take it for granted that people with authority should be trusted simply because they are in a position of power. I think this story is helping to break through the façade that these elites have in place. Looks like more and more people are see through the act these people are trying to put on though.
The massive plunge in news paper sales revenue seems unstoppable but there was a bump in profits that correlates with Abramson's time on top of the media power structure. It seems to me that people want to trust MSM and I completely understand that desire. It certainly would be wonderful if we did have an honest media that always does its due diligence and does honest fact checking before they even consider reporting the news. After all that is the sales pitch, big companies like NYT have a massive staff and millions of dollars worth of resources to ensure they are telling the truth right? That is what their slogan implies to me at least.
This is why I think we have to hold people like Abramson to a higher standard and call out plagiarism charges when they happen.
If you write a book called : Merchants of Truth that is a direct critique of the media and a lesson on honest reporting, it may be best if you due some prep work like checking sources and citing them correctly. One would think that after a lifetime of working as an editor and going through the ranks all the way to the top you would be good at this. It should be second nature and the easiest thing in the world for Jill Abramson and her book's writing staff to avoid a scandal like this but, we live in a bizarre world I suppose.
Here is a clip from Twitter by Michael C Moynihan, who initially called out this book for being less than factual as reported by Market Watch.
There are plenty of examples from many more people who are not very happy with having their work so closely represented in this book and this will likely have the opposite effect that Mrs. Abramson had intended. It was suppose to add weight to the authority of the MSM but it is such a mess how can anyone believe it won't just drag down there reputation more?
To be fair, Abramson has the right to defend herself and her book so please watch this interview where she explains her position.
The point I am trying to make with this article is that this should not have happened to such a prestigious arbiter of the news. It is probably is way past moment where we needed to move on from trusting the editors at the New York Times but millions of people still have faith in them. I really want people to stop looking at journalists as some kind of priest class that can operate unquestioned. I think we should take all professionals off their pedestals and question every thing no matter what. When it comes to your health, wealth and interpretation of the world you should trust yourself first and foremost in my opinion.
Time will tell if her version of the truth stands up or if her book turns out to just be derivative rumors masquerading as the truth. If you are reading this, you probably understand that trusting the man behind the curtain is a terrible idea, but millions of people still do media companies do their thinking for them and need our help.
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Just for fun, I have to mention that this is a write up of a story going around news circuit and it wasn't me who broke the story. However, because it is written in my words and these are my thoughts, I'm betting my amateur effort will stand up better than the experts in question for sure. Those who have been gatekeeping information for the MSM all these years need more scrutiny than ever and we are just the type of folk who can oblige I'd say.
Thank you for reading this post and being part of the solution to this problem. Have a great day!
