Trump himself tweeted about the commercial, stating: “For first time the failing New York Times will take an ad (a bad one) to help save its failing reputation. Try reporting accurately & fairly!”
On the heels of the president’s insult of the New York Times, the executive editor of the newspaper claimed the president’s attempts to smear the publication have actually encouraged more people to read it.
“Trump is the best thing to happen to the Times’ subscription strategy,” Dean Baquet told CNN’s “Reliable Sources” on Feb. 26. “Every time he tweets, it drives subscriptions wildly.”
The Street reported last week: “By the end of this month, [the New York Times] expected to have added 500,000 new net subscribers over a six-month period, unprecedented in U.S. history, moving past its recently achieved subscriber milestone. Meanwhile, its partner in surge, the Washington Post said that January generated more subscription starts than any other month, beating what had been a record-setting November, with the Post overall seeing ‘doubled digital subscription revenue in the past 12 months, with a 75% increase in new subscribers.'”
Baquet said having Trump in the White House has injected new life into journalists who may have held a gloomy outlook for their industry.
“There was a long time when the press wondered about its place in society, the last several years as newspaper subscriptions dwindled, as particularly local newspapers worried about their future,” he said. “What’s happened in the last couple of months I have to say has been tremendous for news organizations.”
“Our mission is clearer than it’s ever been – we’re covering a dramatic revolution in government and how the country is governed, and it feels like all of the things that sort of bothered us and made us lose a little bit of confidence in the last few months have sort of gone away.”