N.Y. Times: Hey, Guess Who We Found to Be a “Man on the Street”? Some Guy Named Greg Packer!
Incredible. The New York Times again cites Greg Packer as a typical man on the street, as if he hadn’t been cited as such in dozens of other stories. Writing about a Philadelphia parade celebrating the Phillies’ World Series victory, the Paper of Record says:
The parade drew fans from beyond the region, too.
Greg Packer, 44, of Huntington, N.Y., drove in for Game 5 of the World Series and stayed for the celebration. He arrived on Broad Street near City Hall at 5 a.m. to secure what he considered the best spot.
“In New York right now, we have no Mets, no Yankees, no stadiums,” he said. “I came here to represent and cheer our neighbors.”
No wonder this is the most admired paper in the country.
Well, they spelled his name right.
So, those layers of editorial fact-checking aren’t entirely asleep.
Can layers sleep?
For this post, they can.
SteveMG (3121f5) — 10/31/2008 @ 5:38 pmThey fell for him again? Unbelievable.
SPQR (26be8b) — 10/31/2008 @ 5:44 pmI have to give the dude props. He should go like buy a dozen lottery tickets, right now!
Techie (62bc5d) — 10/31/2008 @ 5:51 pmEven I know who this guy is! It takes all of 10 seconds to Google him to know he isn’t a “man on the street”.
dfbaskwill (2c7f7f) — 10/31/2008 @ 5:53 pmMaybe the newspapers are playing “Man-in-the-Street” Bingo and the newspaper that gets Greg Packer’s quote first gets extra points.
DRJ (cb68f2) — 10/31/2008 @ 5:59 pmAfter a few more RIF’s in the newsroom, Greg Packer might be the only one that represents the NYT.
Another Drew (7aa87e) — 10/31/2008 @ 6:08 pmUntil I stepped out of the liberal closed loop I never realized how often NYT puts its foot in its mouth.
Until I came here, I had no idea bout LA Times.
There’s really no sarcasm here. I was wrong and I’ve learned.
i like america (d2f951) — 10/31/2008 @ 6:11 pmWell, it’s not just the newspapers we’re complaining about these days, if you’ve catched the drift around here.
Dmac (e30284) — 10/31/2008 @ 6:26 pmI’m slowly seeing the light – you gotta understand it will take some time, these are institutions I’ve blindly thought were fact-checking each other my entire life. Can’t flip the switch overnight. But I can be convinced when the facts are there
i like america (d2f951) — 10/31/2008 @ 6:29 pmGood for you, i like america.
DRJ (cb68f2) — 10/31/2008 @ 6:43 pmI actually don’t believe it’s become as bad until relatively recently – I still subscribe to the NYT’s Sunday edition, but I only keep paying for it because my wife still reads it (she’s a Lefty). Even she’s noticed their dramatic shift to the far Left over the past few years, as well as at TNY (she doesn’t read that mag, btw). I also used to be a regular watcher of MacNeill/Lehrer, Huntley/Brinkley and even Cronkite growing up. But although all of these had a leftward tilt, you could sift through their biases and still come away with decent enough information.
But now – well, Hillary was right during the primaries; nothing she could do was seen in a positive light, while her opponent was never examined, nor vetted fully. I saw the same dynamic during Obama’s meteoric career here in Chicago – a compliant media that bent over backwards towards his positions, and seemed to go all – out in the criticism of his opponents. I wish he had been obligated to go through the same hurdles his opponents were forced to endure – it wouldn’t have made him a better candidate (he’s plenty good right now), but it might have opened his eyes to a different POV.
Dmac (e30284) — 10/31/2008 @ 6:45 pmO/T….
Just saw another segment of the best 30 seconds on TV…
The Few, The Proud, The Marines!
Another Drew (7aa87e) — 10/31/2008 @ 7:10 pmJust Great Commercials.
Is “Greg Packer” some kind of code, like “Allen Smithee” when directors won’t take credit for a real stinker at the box office?
XBradTC (77b52d) — 10/31/2008 @ 7:11 pmComment by XBradTC — 10/31/2008 @ 7:11 pm
No! Greg Packer is a real person, who has the annoying ability to pop-up in many man-in-the-street interviews in both video and print.
Another Drew (7aa87e) — 10/31/2008 @ 7:21 pmThe guy has been in the NYT, AP, NBC, CNN, etc.
It is like he has made it his life’s ambition to be interviewed by everybody.
It’s Weird!
He sounds more like that creepy guy (with colored, frizzy hair) who always caught the camera’s eye during nationally televised football games during the 70’s and 80’s – the one with the biblical inscription on his homemade sign (I think it said John: something).
Dmac (e30284) — 10/31/2008 @ 7:29 pmIt was Ann Coulter who first wrote about The New York Times’ over-reliance on Greg Packer quotes, in a column of hers from August 2003. Among other things, Packer was picked out of the Times Square New Year’s Eve gathering by the Times for a quote, and in two different years.
Official Internet Data Office (184273) — 10/31/2008 @ 7:40 pmI’m slowly seeing the light – you gotta understand it will take some time, these are institutions I’ve blindly thought were fact-checking each other my entire life.
My rule of thumb has become to assume that all Lefty sounding “facts” and “news” produced by the usual media suspects, trolls, etc., are false until proven otherwise, if not also even the exact opposite of what is the case. It’s amazing how often this assumption pans out.
J. Peden (109022) — 11/1/2008 @ 12:00 amGive me a break. Throw in the towel you Rethuglicans. Obama is the new King on the block.
AP has it right. That smiling guy walking down the street? Odds are he’s a Brack Obama backer. The grouchy looking one? DON’T ASK and DON’T ncessarily COUNT on him to vote next week, either.
A little psychology there, eh? Feck the media and the traitorous so-called conservatives who are ok with thought of an obama as potus because they hope he’ll do the right thing and govern as a centrist while eschewing what his enablers desire. Whom areMapes and Gunga Dan voting for is what we really wonder.
madmax333 (0c6cfc) — 11/1/2008 @ 8:08 amThe NYT editors must be falling down on the job. I think the last time they quoted him, they referred to him as “Greg Packer … who has been cultivating the press for several years now and manages to attend at least two news events a week.”
You’d think they would have a memo out to the editors that says that if the reporter winds up quoting Greg Packer, they have to identify him as a frequent attendee at news events.
Joshua (320a14) — 11/1/2008 @ 8:43 amDmac: The guy in the rainbow-colored wig was Rollen Stewart, and his sign said “John 3:16.”
Stewart is now serving life in prison for kidnapping. Google him for more information.
Joshua (320a14) — 11/1/2008 @ 8:48 amMadMax is right. Republicans = Evil. The NY Times reporters would never fall for ridiculous made up quotes by people using false names.
Heywood Jablowme (4e0ded) — 11/3/2008 @ 8:00 amWell, I can’t speak for every American man, but whenever some schlub in a corduroy sportcoat shoves a pad and pencil in my face, I always say my name is “Greg Packer,” and then give him a colorful-but-asinine quote.
Greg Packer (cfb7d1) — 11/3/2008 @ 2:54 pmLook for the guy with the clueless and brainless look on his face. He’s sure to be an Obama backer. Reality is not a part of his world…..
Tom Thumb (8f37e4) — 11/3/2008 @ 9:43 pmI got sick of the leftward tilt of the mid-stream media back in, uhh, about 1973. Glad to see you folks are waking up.
Hontoni Sodesunee (3fd4f4) — 11/6/2008 @ 12:22 pmAmazingly, George Packer is being interviewed for a PBS special on how great Obama really is. WETA is the station. Do you suppose George has the alias as Greg to be man on the street. George works for the New Yorker magazine.
Jack (ecad43) — 11/7/2008 @ 7:22 pm