From the New York Times "Public Editor" (the readers' "advocate"):

"A Conversation With the Standards Editor"

[Public Editor]: How have reader expectations about the paper's standards changed over the past few years?

[Standards Editor]: It's a very hard question to answer because with the blogs out there drumming up opposition to the "mainstream media," and with the Bush administration and some of its most fervent supporters drumming up contempt for the news media - for the Eastern liberal news media, so called - it's very hard to tell which expressions of reader sentiment are genuine. You obviously pay more attention to a one-of-a-kind letter than you do to one that comes in all full of phrases repeated off some pressure group's Web site.

Wow! That guy really has his finger on the pulse of the average reader! Here's a "one-of-a-kind" letter for ya:

Dear NY Times,

You are a liberal shit-rag unsuitable for fish-wrapping. BLOGGERS RULE!

Hello Media Critic,

We, among the elite, understand that only mouth-breathing, brownshirts blog. Inquiring minds turn to Pravda - New York Times edition.

The secret police will be by shortly to escort you to re-education camp.

Peace through surveillance,

bohemianlikeyou

In fact, Media Critic, my secret police were en route as you were typing that post.

Orbiting your living room,

bohemianlikeyou

What a valid statement by the standards editor! We at the DNC have been saying the EXACT SAME THING about the Bush attack machine and the evil bloggers! What a coincidence that the even-handed "paper of record" which reports right down the middle on every subject would see things the same way we do? We are shocked, I tell you! Pleasantly shocked! Well, all we need is to get that strident centrist Krugman to see our point of view and we're set!

I "feel" so informed when I read the New York Times. Almost as informed when I read Weekly World News!