Today’s editorial in The Times seems pretty negative about Obama. The Times is, of course, a Murdoch paper, so this is probably written [del]under orders[/del] after a suggestion.
Except it’s not published in America but in the U.K. which does have socialised health care etc. What’s going on?
Certainly appears to be a smear piece to me. I’m amazed that so much is being read into *one sentence *uttered by the *wife *of a presidential candidate. It’s actually fairly embarrassing (the brouhaha, not what she did or didn’t say).
But what’s his angle? And why publish it in a British newspaper?
On a guess, I’d say it’s got something to do with the internet. A lot of people nowadays specifically get their news strictly over the web. I’m one of 'em.
Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if the author is counting on it getting picked up and rerun in other papers.
It’s a columnist piece. It’s very specifically an individual expressing their own opinions, not an editorial stance. All the serious newspapers have such articles every day, including regularly featuring ones which disagree with the overall stance of that paper and which are likely to challenge the views of many of their readers. (Admittedly, this identity as an opinion piece is certainly less clear in the online presentation than it is in the print edition.)
And why not publish it in a British newspaper? Many of us are following the primaries with interest. And certainly will do so come the election. Because it affects us. The enourmous gulf between American and British ideologies is a constant source of fascination, the OP’s comment about healthcare being a case in point.
And a single opinion piece in one Murdoch paper isn’t enough to read anything into. He’s primarily interested in selling to his various markets, anyway, and The Times might well contradict The Sun in its editorial stance.