In spite of shrinking resources, market share, and credibility, the venerable Gray Lady has poured resources into trashing Toyota, the chief competitor of the paper’s drinking buddies — the White House and the UAW.

Look at the depth of their investigations, which, by  the way, far exceed the number of documents or years the New York Times reviewed while “vetting” candidate Obama:

Of the 12,700 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration consumer complaints analyzed by The Times, the Ford Motor Company had the most, about 3,500.

Toyota ranked second, with about 3,000 complaints, but those were linked to far more accidents — 1,000 — compared to 450 crashes for Ford.

Odd.  Taking the time to trash Ford while they’re at it?  How comprehensive of them. More: (more…)

The Miami Herald has suspended its program that encouraged readers to voluntarily make donations to read its on-line content, as opposed to having a hard subscription price.

If you value The Miami Herald’s local news reporting and investigations, but prefer the convenience of the Internet, please consider a voluntary payment for the web news that matters to you,” the now-defunct donation page read.

One could, if one were so predisposed,  consider this a wonderful milestone for the Herald.  Perhaps, we shall assume in this vein, the Herald has achieved such a state of financial self-sufficiency that online subscriptions — begged for or otherwise — are no longer needed for the financial integrity of the paper.

Our first clue comes from early reactions to the program shortly after its launch:  ”They’ve also provoked an array of reactions, here and across the country, since this has drawn attention as the first effort of its kind.”  An “array” – a collection, joined perhaps merely by the fact at whom they were directed.

One can feel the “array” in its full glory:  ”Are you clowns serious?”  ”Here’s two cents.”  ”Here’s my nickel.”  ”I just got done reading your rag.  I’ll be sending an invoice shortly.”  The ending of the program was likewise marked by weasel words.  Wrote editor Anders Gyllenhaal: (more…)