The media have thus far had a tepid response to the anti-Wall Street protesters gathering in lower Manhattan. But as unions have joined the ranks and the protests spread across the country, The New York Times is joining the party.
In a Sunday editorial, the Paper of Record came out in support of Occupy Wall Street, saying the protesters’ message should be “obvious to anyone who has been paying attention since the economy went into a recession that continues to sock the middle class while the rich have recovered and prospered.”
It’s an interesting turn for the paper, which as recently as Sept. 23 ran a story under this headline: “Gunning for Wall Street, With Faulty Aim.” Then, the Times wrote that the movement’s cause was “virtually impossible to decipher. The group was clamoring for nothing in particular to happen right away…”
Compare that to Sunday’s editorial: “It is not the job of the protesters to draft legislation. That’s the job of the nation’s leaders, and if they had been doing it all along there might not be a need for these marches and rallies.”
Several Republican lawmakers have voiced concern over the protests. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said recently he is “increasingly concerned” about the anti-Wall Street “mobs.” Several Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have endorsed the protesters.
Read the editorial here.
