NYT Defends GM: The Night of the Living Pom-Poms
Weâve identified NYT (and former Detroit News) scribe Bill Vlasic as a Motown cheerleader ever since ever. Billâs not happy with that assessment. Canât see it. Which is kind of strange. I mean, read this piece in The Times chronicling GMâs slide into bankruptcy and try and find oneâ oneâ instance where Vlasic takes CEO Rick Wagoner and Co. to task for running what was once the worldâs largest automaker into the ground. Itâs full of the usual weasel words and waffle. To wit: the headline. âDriven to the brink.â Not driving over the brink. Driven to the brink (by external events, of course). Vlasic and his partner lead their âstoryâ with the termination of GMâs CXX SUV program. ââIt would have been very difficult in todayâÂÂs environment to spend a couple of billion dollars to do a replacement [for the GMT900 SUVs],â said Robert A. Lutz, G.M.âÂÂs vice chairman and head of product development. âReality had set in.ââ And when did Maximum Bob get this wake-up call? May. Of this year. Thereâs more, but those of you who easily offended by GMâs mismanagement and media stooges should avoid the jump.