New York Times Suffering From Body Dysmorphia?

Body Dysmorphia is a psychological disorder in which the affected person is excessively concerned and preoccupied by a perceived defect in his or her physical features.
– Wikipedia

Dear New York Times,

I thought it was adorable the way you reported on your own earnings report in your Media & Advertising section.  But I have to say, you’re being a bit too hard on yourself.  And many of us, while we don’t necessarily agree on all the politics, rely on your content more than almost any other news source to keep up with what’s happening in business and in the world at large.

Yes, we understand your duty as journalists to come clean with the fact that your ad revenue was down 32%.  But you guys were able to get back to profitability anyway, after a $75 million loss last quarter I might add.

Never mind the fact that cost-cutting and tax rulings made profitability possible.  You’ve held up better than most old media firms during this awkward adolescent phase where everybody is looking to grow into their new digital bodies.  As Christina Aguilera sang, “You are beautiful, no matter what they say…”

And about those two unsightly zits, The Boston Globe and About.com, we can overlook the drag they’ve been creating on profitability as we know that they will soon fade from your visage once the ad spending environment gets back to normal.  We can ignore the fact that no one I’ve ever met uses About.com for any reason ever, except if they land there by accident (and even then, they click away as soon as is humanly possible in most cases). 

So keep your chin up, New York Times.  You’ve got as good a shot as any other old-line media name to adapt to the new world. 

Your website and in-house blogs are better than 90% of what passes for online news and commentary.  Unlike other stubborn, curmudgeonly news sources who don’t understand that “information wants to be free”, you’ve kept your content ad-supported and open to the public.  This is a smart decision strategically right now even if it hurts a bit financially. 

We’re all rooting for you.  Just remember, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Sincerely,

The Financial Blogging Community

Sources:

NYT on NYT Earnings

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