Media outlet or political organization? And where does the New York Times fit here?

Wednesday, the NYT turned their opinion-devoted Twitter account into an activist page lobbying against the tax reform bill passed by the Senate Budget Committee Tuesday.

Using the hashtag #thetaxbillhurts, the NYT encouraged readers to contact Republican Senators who have yet to commit to voting for the bill.

This morning, the Times editorial board is tweeting here to urge the Senate to reject a tax bill that hurts the middle class & the nation's fiscal health. #thetaxbillhurts — NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) November 29, 2017

Contact @SenJohnMcCain and @JeffFlake, particularly if you live in Arizona, and tell them to oppose the tax bill: It would add more than $1.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years without helping the middle class. #thetaxbillhurts

Flake: (202) 224-4521

McCain: (202) 224-2235 pic.twitter.com/PvXI1b3Xd4 — NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) November 29, 2017

The @nytopinion Editorial Board has been tweeting about the Senate tax bill all morning. Will you be hurt by it? Tell us how using #thetaxbillhurts — NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) November 29, 2017

Any temporary tax cuts for the middle class would be more than offset by the higher cost of health insurance — a good reason to vote against the tax bill. https://t.co/oSSXZ7H1H3 Tell your senators today: https://t.co/0AtZRQGvM5 #thetaxbillhurts pic.twitter.com/jqjW6cFbuJ — NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) November 29, 2017

Thank you for listening to the Editorial Board on why #thetaxbillhurts, and alerting the Senate to your concerns. We're now back to regular programming here, with our mix of op-eds, columns, videos and more. — NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) November 29, 2017

After receiving a just amount of criticism, at least one NYT writer defended the publication’s decision to play DNC communications staff for a day:

It is the job of editorial writers & editorial boards to advocate for policies we agree with and against proposals we don't. That's what we were doing on @nytopinion today. — Vikas Bajaj (@vikasbajaj) November 29, 2017

And it’s a fair point. While publications do publish opinions, those posts are typically concluded with some sort of blanket, italicised disclaimer stating the opinions published therein are not representative of the opinions or values of the publication itself. It’s certainly not standard practice to use an opinion section to lobby for legislation. And of all things, the tax bill? Really?

The role of the fourth estate is simple: publish facts and allow voters to draw their own conclusions. But as we’ve discussed at length, the political press corps increasingly sees itself as a collective body entitled to take an active role in the crafting of legislation and in so doing, governing rather than reporting.

All of this:

I just hope they start sending emails to their subscribers that start with "Patriot," although perhaps "Comrade" would be more appropriate.https://t.co/Xr42Mk9pOr — Bobby P (@Panzenbeck) November 29, 2017

The NewYorkTimes, a for-profit corporation, opposes equal free speech for other for-profits (Koch), non-profits (NRA), & groups of private citizens. Despite a lower circulation than NRA has members, NYT believes it deserves more free speech. NYT: Free speech for me-Not for thee. https://t.co/XYQ6XecNzI — J.P. Freire (@JPFreire) November 29, 2017

I get the difference between opinion and editorial, but it's still quite jarring to see a New York Times account tweeting like a Democratic Party organization https://t.co/uQ2sNiVgzy — Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) November 29, 2017



