An early spring in New York City sends blossoms through Central Park, but the loopy New York Times claims “a pall of anxiety has descended on the city.” Really?
By David Stone
Recently, the New York Times joined one-time lesser lights, proving it learned that nothing sells like fear and anxiety. It’s irritating, but an article on March 7th stretched their fizzy clickbait frenzy higher.
New York in the Age of Coronavirus led with this sentence: “As the number of cases climbs, a pall of anxiety has descended on the city.”
Has it?
Well, yeah, in the fictional universe of mass media. In the real world, not so much.
The Times found one couple in New York City that moved their wedding up, so the groom could add his bride to his health insurance.
“We don’t know what the world will look like in three months,” the bride observed.
And that, according to the newspaper that once set a standard for excellence, was how New York City saw the earliest of springs after a mild winter.
But it’s not what we saw…
I admit, showing up the Times inspired me. But after that, it was all New Yorkers and the earliest of springs.
Early Spring in New York City: What about the people?
Many think the unthinkable: “Am I next?” That’s the Times version.
But that’s not real.
Because 2,200 people are in some kind of quarantine in town, the Times reports “a creeping anxiety looms.”
But even without the tourists, there are 8,398,748 of us. You do the math.
Oh well, I’ll do it for you. That’s .026% under quarantine, the vast majority voluntary. Meanwhile…
But in the New York Times New York Region section, 8 out of ten stories contain “coronavirus” in the headline.
Spring’s in bloom, whether the New York Times likes it or not.
The Gag Order
We move back into the August 27, 2025 Governance Committee meeting at 680 Main Street where it felt less like a continuation than the quiet third act of a long play. In Part 1 (“A Pause Between Sips”), the conversation had drifted from ethics to ground leases, from principle to property, as if governance were something to be held but never quite grasped.
