— Musings —11.06.2012 10:46 AM
The only opinion column that ever impacted an election result
As I have written many times, opinion columns don’t matter squat. They actually often send voters in the opposite direction from what was intended.
As I plan to discuss on Sun News Network tonight (all night), this is the only op-ed that is the exception to that rule.
Where are your sacred garments now, Mitt?……w/apologies to Edward G.
It wasn’t the op-ed. It was the headline.
A headline that Romney didn’t even write.
It always struck me as odd that a reporter, columnist or op-ed writer couldn’t title their own work. Most don’t read the whole article, if at all, and are left with an impression of the content by the headline alone.
It’s like a chef making a salad and then letting the dishwasher pick the dressing to put on it.
Makes no sense.
Would be fitting to have a torqued headline by the NYT be a factor in Ohio’s results.
Agreed, Mark. But while odd, it has ever been thus. Writers have never written their own headlines. Editorial staff have always considered it too important to be left to the writer. Writers accept that it goes with the job.
A better analogy would be the executive chef dressing the plate prepared by the chef before it leaves the kitchen to be consumed.
The final responsibility for what ends up on the editorial pages rests with senior editors and the publication. So ya, the Times created a sound bite, a political slogan, with this headline. Something that has been discussed on this website in the past.
Fitting indeed.