SOTT Exclusive: Facebook Users Insult The New York Times

When I logged on to Facebook today I was almost immediately confronted by an advertisement for the New York Times. On offer was a whole year's digital subscription to "the paper of record" for 50% off. Encouragement to sign up was provided by the claim that "Real news deserves real journalism" and that the NY Times is "more essential than ever". But what seems more essential than ever for the NY Times these days is convincing people that the paper and its mainstream partners are still sources of accurate information rather than a fount of yellow journalism.

Print newspaper ad revenues in the USA fell 55% between 2007 and 2012 as a result of a concomitant decrease in print readership as millions of people defected to the web for their news. So while outlets like the NY Times ridiculed Trump for his use of social media during his campaign, they themselves are actively targeting the growing numbers of people who have turned to social media and websites for their daily dose of news.

But if the online marketeers at the NY Times believe that digital is a viable way to save the paper from even more financial trouble and ultimately journalistic irrelevance, the Facebook responses to the ad I saw might make them think twice. At the time of writing there were 424 comments on the ad. Here it is, and the first 100 or so comments. The last one is my favorite! If you feel like commenting, here's the link.