The New York Times' The Weekly presidential endorsement process was like Trump's Apprentice

Variety

Last night's made-for-TV endorsement process, which led to the paper's unprecedented decision to endorse Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar in the Democratic primaries, missed the mark and looked more like reality TV than newsgathering, says Daniel D'Addario. Last night's The Weekly episode, he said, had elements of The Bachelor with “who has broken your heart” questions, Survivor with the paper-balloting and The Apprentice. "As with most else in this episode, if this banal half-understanding of the state of the race even after having been granted the most extreme sort of access is the real tenor of conversation at the Times when cameras aren’t there, it’s dismaying," says D'Addario. "And if this is truly just a pose put on for the TV show about the Times, it suggests that (editorial board member Brent) Staples and colleagues have envisioned themselves in a seat Trump held before his seat in the Oval Office: That of reality-TV arbiter, a decider with power to move hearts and minds through televised charisma. The Times editorial board seems to want less to be a traditional media force than to have the new-media power of a decade and a half ago, to decide which Democratic candidate will be The Apprentice."