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Thursday, March 27, 2008

 
NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF IS PISSED As well he should be:
Like the ground zero and Atlantic Yards fiascos, its overblown scale and reliance on tired urban planning formulas should force a serious reappraisal of the public-private partnerships that shape development in the city today. And in many ways the West Side railyards is the most disturbing of the three...

As a money-making venture conceived by a cash-starved transit authority, it signals a level of cynicism that should prod us to demand a moratorium on all such development until our public officials return to their senses.
Amen to that.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

 
TIMES DECEIVES READERS The headline: Big Wins for Clinton in Texas and Ohio.

The sixth sentence?

And the result there allowed her to cast Tuesday as the beginning of a comeback even though she stood a good chance of gaining no ground against Mr. Obama in the hunt for delegates.
(Emphasis added.)

The currency of the nomination process is delegates. How a candidate could have a "win" that's "big" without gaining delegates goes unexplained.

From the twelfth paragraph:

Given the way the Democratic Party allocates delegates, it remained unclear whether Mrs. Clinton would close Mr. Obama’s lead on that front.
But to reiterate: That is the only front.

The New York Times could use its prestige and influence to correct a misleading bit of conventional wisdom that has cropped up in the last several days. Instead, the paper sacrifices accuracy so that it can stick with the crowd.

UPDATE: From the sixth paragraph of an article--also touting Clinton's "victories"--that The Times gives less prominence:

Mr. Obama, meanwhile, appeared likely to accumulate enough delegates from Texas and Ohio (as well as from his victory in Vermont) to strengthen his mathematical edge for the nomination.
Stunning.


CONTRAPOSITIVE is edited by Dan Aibel. Dan's a playwright. He lives in New York City.