Following is the final part of a series discussing the work of New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.
CONCLUSION: Let's agree that Paul Krugman was a non-partisan economist as recently as a few years ago. Granting that, how many hundreds of astonishingly one-sided New York Times columns must he write before even his supporters are forced to confront the notion that he has since become something very different -- "a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially: one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance"? When measured by the Lying in Ponds approach of evaluating individual references to the two parties, Paul Krugman is far more one-sided than the average pundit, far more one-sided than any other New York Times columnist, and is rivaled only by Ann Coulter and Robert Scheer of the major pundits evaluated here. The crossover column analysis shown earlier suggests that Michael Tomasky's approach of quantifying partisanship by evaluating entire columns would yield a similar result. The conclusion is inescapable: Paul Krugman's columns for the New York Times have been extremely partisan -- it's not a close call.
Paul Krugman has referred to himself as "the lonely voice of truth in an ocean of corruption". Some critics suggest a descent into paranoia. When Lying in Ponds hears from Mr. Krugman's many fans, it's clear that many of them remember his more balanced commentary during the 1990's and, while admiring his skewering of the Bush administration, assume that he has continued to criticize Democrats as well. Thanks to the untiring efforts of archivist Bobby Pelgrift, each one of his 400+ Times columns is preserved online, and that record is perfectly clear. At some point prior to the presidency of George W. Bush, Paul Krugman abandoned substantive criticism of Democrats. As the Bush administration proceeded, Mr. Krugman's non-partisan economics columns disappeared, and he began to ruthlessly simplify every topic according to a formula that even non-economists can understand -- one political party is very good and the other is very, very bad.
FURTHER READING:
Paul Krugman's New York Times page
The new Paul Krugman website
The Unofficial Paul Krugman Archive
Donald Luskin's National Review Online archives
2003 PressThink essay by Jay Rosen
2003 Weekly Standard article by Andrew Ferguson
2003 Washington Post article by Howard Kurtz
Krugman is named 2002 columnist of the year by Editor and Publisher
2002 Washington Monthly article by Nicholas Confessore
2002 Spinsanity article by Bryan Keefer
2001 Salon article by Damien Cave
2001 New York Magazine article by Michael Wolff
Krugman is Awarded John Bates Clark Medal
UPDATE: (29 March) Added Donald Luskin's Krugman Truth Squad archives to the "Further Reading" list.
| Author/ Affiliation |
Title/ Date |
words | PI | Partisan References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Krugman New York Times |
The Medicare Muddle 26 March 2004 |
815 | 100 | 1R- The trustees': administration |
| NYT Lead Editorial New York Times |
Entitlements ’Crisis’ 26 March 2004 |
599 | 100 | 1R- Congress can: administration |
| Charles Krauthammer Washington Post |
Sept. 11, Lies and 'Mistakes' 26 March 2004 |
944 | 82 | 12D-,3D=,6R+,1R= It is: Bush administration, Clinton administration It did: Bill Clinton, Clinton administration Clinton had: Clinton As Clinton: Clinton, William Cohen, Clinton We're not: Clinton, Clinton This is: Clinton administration Second, he: Bush, Clinton Clarke gives: Clinton, Bush Look. George: George W. Bush Clinton was: Clinton, Clinton administration, Bush administration Clarke says: Clinton administration Clarke is: Condoleezza Rice, Bush administration |
| E. J. Dionne Jr. Washington Post |
Democracy's Revenge 26 March 2004 |
947 | 60 | 5D+,1D-,5D=,14R-,5R= Richard A.: Bush administration, President Bush It is: Bush administration, administration, Bush The commission: administration, administration, the president It's worth: administration, Bush, Bill Clinton Rush Limbaugh,: Rush Limbaugh, Clinton, Clinton, president, Clinton Just days: Richard Shelby, Clinton, Clinton, Shelby Well, the: Clinton administration, Clinton, Clintonians, Bushies "My impression: Clinton administration The Bush: Bush administration "My view: administration This does: Bush administration, Clinton, Bush |
| OJ On the Editorial Page WSJ OpinionJournal |
A President's Job 26 March 2004 |
1151 | 48 | 2D+,4D-,4D=,9R+,4R= The 9/11: Bush Give President: President Bush, Bush This is: Bush, the President, Bush, Clinton The bias: Bill Clinton, Clinton, Jimmy Carter We likewise: Bush, Bush Democrats now: Democrats, Madeleine Albright But in: Albright, Bush Administration "Albright emphasized: Albright, Berger The idea: President Bush This is: Bush, Bush, Bill Clinton But this: Bush |
| WP Lead Editorial Washington Post |
8,000 Deaths a Day 26 March 2004 |
557 | 20 | 1R+,2R-,2R= THE BUSH: BUSH administration, administration Generic AIDS: President Bush The administration: administration, administration |
| Mona Charen Creators Syndicate |
To tell the truth 26 March 2004 |
800 | 12 | 3D+,1D-,5D=,2R+,2R-,3R= The Kerry: Kerry, President Bush, the president In fact,: President Bush, President Clinton, Bush President Bush's: President Bush, Kerry, Kerry, Kerry, Bush Kerry's campaign: Kerry, Bush, Kerry, Kerry, Kerry |
| Daniel Henninger WSJ OpinionJournal |
Skiing as News 26 March 2004 |
1269 | 4 | 3D+,14D=,4R+,3R= Is John: John Kerry We've been: Kerry Mr. Kerry: Kerry The first: Democratic, John Kerry Still, we: Kerry You know: Kerry You know: Kerry You know: Kerry, Democratic The unkindest: Kerry, Democrats, Kerry, Bush, Ed Rendell, Democrat Henry Schafer: Kerry, George Bush That's enough,: Kerry Mike Deaver,: Mike Deaver, Ronald Reagan, former president, Reagan, Deaver |
| David Ignatius Inactive |
'Wartime President' MIA 26 March 2004 |
982 | |
|
| Robert J. Samuelson Washington Post |
Calling the Next Tech Challenge 26 March 2004 |
1014 | 0 | |
| Bob Herbert Inactive |
The Wrong War 26 March 2004 |
880 | |
|
| John Fund Inactive |
C-SPAN's Silver Anniversary 26 March 2004 |
926 | |