• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, October 24, 2024

The problem with New York magazine’s big feature, “Media Elites Tell All,” is in the title. 

Instead of querying the “57 most powerful people in media,” it might have been better to interview some lower-level people, like those running small nonprofit newsrooms, and maybe the readers themselves. 

What we get is a good deal of commentary from the big shots—some of it witty and some even pertinent. But there is little insight on how to run a business or a newsroom. And a certain amount is simply questionable. 

Take the section titled “Some Good News For White Guys.” One executive, who is not named, says people are now being hired who “are qualified for these jobs rather than just that they are not another white male.”  

An adjacent piece, “The Kids Are Soft, Too,” states that today’s entry-level journalists “are not nearly as talented as the people 10 and 15 and 20 years ago.” 

In this same section is a piece on Israel and Palestine and the fact that organizations are having to “defend their coverage, not only to the readers but also to their staff.” That is true, but don’t expect an in-depth analysis of the subject; what we get are seven comments, four of them anonymous.   

Some of these subjects are simply predictable—like the piece titled, “Everybody Is Jealous of the New York Times,” followed by the subhead: “But not necessarily for its journalism.” Then there’s “What’s the Point of Print?” (Predictably, one contribution to the print section, “Tell us How You Really Feel About Conde Nast,” is anonymous).  

(Here's a fun game: try to match the off-the-record comments with the 57 people whose names are presented in the feature).

We bought this package on a newsstand and are still not convinced that it was worth it. Say this for it: it's broad—there's even a piece on AI. And we'll add one thing. The black and white photos of the 57 execs are spectacular.