The New York Times has seriously screwed up its coverage of the Pope and the child abuse scandals
By Damian Thompson: March 31st, 2010
It’s pretty clear now that The New York Times has screwed up its coverage of Pope Benedict XVI and the child abuse scandals. In fact, I doubt it could have done a worse job if it had brought back Jayson Blair to report the story.
Cardinal William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, this week laid into the NYT in Catholic San Francisco Online. I’m not a huge fan of Levada, and reckon he’ll be moving on shortly, but he’s spot on about the Old Gray Lady. So is Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, who received a standing ovation in St Patrick’s Cathedral when, without mentioning the paper by name, he attacked it from the sanctuary on Sunday. Dolan long ago worked out that the NYT has an insidious anti-Catholic slant, and has not been afraid to say so in the past.
Meanwhile, I hope you’ve had a chance to read the devastating expose of the media’s methods by the canonical judge in charge of the Wisconsin case, which I reproduced in a blog post yesterday.
Levada asks the NYT to “reconsider its attack mode”. Can’t see that happening: certain columnists, reporters and executives are just too blinded by hatred of this Pope. I don’t normally wish unemployment on fellow journalists – even snooty and snarling PC ones from the Big Apple – but if the paper folded tomorrow I reckon I could contain my grief. Couldn’t you?
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