The More The NYT Changes…

In 1903, the New York Times said invention of a workable flying machine would take the “continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from 1 million to 10 million years.” Sixty-nine days later, the Wright Brothers made their famous flight. 2/20 https://t.co/FzO4IIVUNv

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

The "newspaper of record” is a broken record.*

The New York Times said in 1922 that “Hitler’s anti-Semitism was not so violent or genuine as it sounded.” A year later, Hitler attempted a coup and was jailed. When he got out, the Times headline was: “Hitler Tamed by Prison.” Not quite. 4/20 https://t.co/d09NxG3QNQ

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

Among the worst misinformation ever in the New York Times was Walter Duranty’s spreading of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s propaganda, including downplaying the Soviet-induced famine in 1932-33 that killed an estimated 3 million Ukrainians. 6/20 https://t.co/3fSauKk579

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

I’ll concede that film criticism is a subjective art, but it’s still hard to accept the fact that the New York Times’ Bosley Crowther panned both “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “White Christmas.” 8/20 https://t.co/JWrz77xl4v

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

(well, most critics are out of touch with posterity. Besides, “Life” came out in the summer, and was not warmly received by anyone.)

In 1976, the New York Times took the Trumps at their word, reporting that Donald Trump “graduated first in his class from the Wharton School of Finance of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.” In fact, Trump wasn’t anywhere near the top. 10/20 https://t.co/58LGgvdKap

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

"Trust, but...oh, just trust! He’s a rich white man, after all!”

When Vladimir Putin emerged from relative obscurity to become Russia’s prime minister in 1999, the Times described him as “a tall man.” He’s 5-7. 12/20https://t.co/Ax4ei5yhxO

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

(All a matter of perspective.)

In 2006, the New York Times’ David Pogue wrote: “Everyone’s always asking me when Apple will come out with a cellphone. My answer is, ‘Probably never.’” The next year, the iPhone arrived. 14/20https://t.co/LEEtP5EFMP

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

The stupidest thing we can do is predict the future. But still we do it.

Some New York Times mistakes have been low in importance but high in embarrassment. In 2011, a gallery of covers of the magazine Tiger Beat mistakenly included a parody cover by the Onion featuring Barack Obama. The Times ran a correction. 16/20 https://t.co/HsHAeGbnEK. pic.twitter.com/wyVYi52lft

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

Ya gotta admit, "The Onion" is pretty credible.

My frustration with the Times comes from the fact that is sometimes produces great journalism, such as its #MeToo investigations and my personal favorite from recent years, the Nicholas Confessore takedown of moderate-turned-fascist Elise Stefanik. 18/20 https://t.co/1u8VIbFVMb

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

Earlier this year, New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger rejected the idea that the paper should try to be on “the right side of history,” saying that aim “can lead even the most well-intentioned journalist astray.” NYT, the “wrong side” paper. 20/20 https://t.co/pLhZV4AzYl

— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) June 23, 2024

Always err on the side of conventional wisdom, eh?

*Ask yer grandpa! Punks!