Blog Post #2: 1st EOTO - The New York Times

The New York Times was created on September 18, 1851, by Henry Jarvis Raymond, a journalist with political ties and George Jones, a banker. Originally the newspaper started under the name of The New-York Daily Times and was sold as a penny paper. The paper wished to contrast yellow journalism which consisted of exaggerated writing that veered toward a certain narrative. They’re editorial policy was based on unbiased, accurate reporting that moderated  opinion writing.

“We shall be Conservative, in all cases where we think Conservatism essential to the public good;—and we shall be Radical in everything which may seem to us to require radical treatment and radical reform. We do not believe that everything in Society is either exactly right or exactly wrong;—what is good we desire to preserve and improve;—what is evil, to exterminate, or reform” wrote Henry Jarvis Raymond according to this article.

Early on, it was seen as an early success because the paper set a pattern to appeal to a particular group of cultured and intellectual readers rather than a mass audience. Though the newspaper did suffer from ups and downs as they struggled to figure out how to maximize their audience. In a failed effort to branch off to the west coast, they produced a California edition called The Times of California according to this article, which would arrive via mail boat from New York. Though it was shut down as there was a long time delay from when the news actually occurred. Competition occurred as the state started creating their own newspapers.

As the United States entered the Civil War, The NewYork Times assembled an extra Sunday publication to offer its readers extra coverage during the war which would stay throughout other wars. 

After the death of George Jones in 1891, editors of the paper raised $1 million to buy it out and started printing under the New York Times Publishing Company. Around this time, the Panic of 1893 started and deeply hurt the newspaper financially. According to this article, the newspaper had an income of less than 9,000 and was losing $1,000 a day in 1896. The publishing company survived when the owner of Chattanooga Times, Adolph Ochs, gained a controlling interest in the company.

Notable Coverage

The “Pentagon Papers” were declassified files that revealed that the government downplayed its war actions in the Vietnam War which included coastal raids on North Vietnam and Marine Corps attacks that went unreported to the public. The whistleblower and Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara directed a secret government study on American involvement in Vietnam. In an effort to cover up, the Nixon administration reported national security concerns and secured a restraining order which would restrict the New York Times from further publishing the rest of the papers. The Court dissolved the restraining order and allowed the Times to continue with publication under the reasoning that Prior Restraint is unconstitutional.

Reporting during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, the New York Times was able to obtain  immediate wireless transmissions from one of the war’s naval battles during the Battle of Port Arthur. This coverage of this event was monumental as it was one of the first speedy turnaround times regarding war events and caused the publishing company to stand out amongst the other newspapers. 

The New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) case began when an article published by The New York Times unintentionally reported small inaccurate details regarding the mistreatment of civil rights protesters by the police force in Montgomery, Alabama. Police commissioner Sullivan sued the newspaper for defamation as a result. Both the county court and the Supreme Court of Alabama sided with Sullivan though when the case went to the Supreme Court of the United States, the verdict sided with the New York Times and led to a new term that needed to be proven for defamation cases regarding public officials. They must prove actual malice which is the intentional action to create harm to the individual.