No one who’s been a sentient human being could have missed the campaign that the entire political left (which includes the New York Times) has been waging against pharmaceutical companies. I’ve no doubt that some of these companies deserve tough scrutiny. But I also have no doubt that when the history of this period is written, one of the biggest stories will be the revolution in pharmaceutical research that has transformed the lives of millions from sickness to health. In that light, check out the latest NYT screed, by the usually reliable (if reflexibly leftist) Robert Pear. Pear’s story was about internal documents, discussing the industry’s lobbying plans for the next year. What’s striking is that nowhere in the piece is there a quote from the drug lobby explaining, defending or simply “no commenting” on the affair. None. Steve Brill summed up this lacuna eloquently enough in an email to Jim Romenesko’s website:
In (Sunday’s) Times we have a clear indication that the paper may now be so beset by internal strife that it has fallen off its basic game… if the explanation is that someone at the Times thinks quoting from the internal memos is allowing the group to speak for itself, that is not only absurd but also dangerous in the sense that nowhere in the story are we even told that Pear confirmed with the group that the internal documents are real – ie., that they aren’t fake or aren’t superceded by later drafts… How could anyone, let alone the Times, publish this story with no comment from the group that is the target?
Brill, it appears, still assumes that the NYT is about presenting both sides of the story in old-style journalistic fashion. Where has he been these past two years? For more details on how the NYT has pursued its ideological crusade against drug companies – even making up “studies” that don’t exist – check out Bob Goldberg’s latest piece in National Review.
POLICING THE BEEB: The BBC’s governors have decided they now need to monitor the national radio and television service each quarter to detect and keep an eye on bias. That may well be a result of the protests that this blog and many, many others helped frame and coordinate. Three cheers for the “second superpower” of the web. Now how do we get in touch with the NYT board?
The Dish 