The Wall Street Journal Praises The Old Gray Lady

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Cite

Blackman, J. (2026, October 27). The Wall Street Journal Praises The Old Gray Lady. Reason. https://reason.com/volokh/2026/10/26/the-wall-street-journal-praises-the-old-gray-lady/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Reason · collected 2026-10-27 · by Josh Blackman

Quick Summary

James Freeman of the Wall Street Journal's "Best of the Web" column highlights an interview with law professor Josh Blackman published by the New York Times, praising the paper’s editor Patrick Healy for addressing criticism constructively. Blackman reflects on his relationships with journalists across various media outlets and emphasizes the importance of fostering these connections over time, suggesting that balanced reporting is key to career advancement within journalism.
Written by AI on 2026-10-27, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Josh Blackman expressed satisfaction that his interview with the New York Times continues to receive attention, particularly after being featured in the Wall Street Journal's "Best of the Web" column by James Freeman. The Wall Street Journal highlighted the New York Times' constructive engagement and openness to criticism from Josh Blackman. Patrick Healy, an editor at the New York Times, was commended for handling the situation well. Blackman also reflected on his professional relationships with journalists over nearly two decades, emphasizing that these interactions are often transactional and can be both productive and counterproductive.

Written for “The Wall Street Journal Praises The New York Times” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 The Wall Street Journal Praises The New York Times
Entertainment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Fox News
Hedges 0 of 27 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss an interview with the New York Times editor regarding labeling practices, Article A focuses on the Wall Street Journal's praise for the NYT's openness to criticism, whereas Article B specifically reports on the content of the editor's admission and interaction with Josh Blackman.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
67/100
Reason's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-27 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Reason · 1111 article(s) · 4 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 4 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Josh Blackman
92 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Those outcomes will get a lot of attention.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Choosin' Texas I Can Tell
🔮 And Kagan spared California the fate that befell Missouri, which had to file a pointless brief that no one would read.
🔮 I thought it might be worthwhile to dig into the numbers a bit more.
🔮 Today the law firm of Weil Gotshal announced that it would wind down.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Farewell to Weil
🔮 And her unwillingness to participate in any disciplinary proceedings suggests something is amiss.
🔮 Longtime readers will recall that I took mileage runs to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sydney to make status at the end of the year.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · 1,000,000 Miles on United
🔮 Let's hope that people across the media industry will take Josh Blackman's criticism to heart.
2026-10-27 · assertive framing · The Wall Street Journal Praises The Old Gray Lady
🔮 New from Reason: a look into what Javier Milei has accomplished and what it will take to make the most of Argentina’s window for real change.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Today in Supreme Court History: October 26, 1774
🔮 ] There have been many news reports suggesting that the United States Department of Justice may pursue denaturalization proceedings against Representative Ilhan Omar.
🔮 Nevertheless, the next two decades would vastly enlarge the president's powers as Congress' authority over the executive branch would be greatly diminished.
Also by Josh Blackman
Choosin' Texas I Can Tell
2026-11-04 · Reason
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 92 articles by Josh Blackman →

Topics

Times the Houston Chronicle the New York Times the Wall Street Journal the Wall Street Journal's

Subjects

Times ORG · 2× the New York Times ORG · 2× Bob Woodward's PERSON · 1× James Freeman PERSON · 1× Josh Blackman's PERSON · 1× Patrick Healy PERSON · 1× the Houston Chronicle ORG · 1× the Wall Street Journal ORG · 1× the Wall Street Journal's ORG · 1×

Narrative

Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent I am pleased that my interview with the New York Times continues to resonate.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-27
🔮 Let's hope that people across the media industry will take Josh Blackman's criticism to heart.
2026-10-27 · Reason
The Wall Street Journal Praises The Old Gray Lady · assertive framing

Claims (19 extracted, 1 hedged)

Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent I am pleased that my interview with the New York Times continues to resonate. asserted
interview → continue → Times
James Freeman features the piece in the Wall Street Journal's "Best of the Web" column. asserted
Freeman → feature → column
It begins: This column sometimes notes the shortcomings of the New York Times so it seems only fair to credit the Gray Lady when she gets it right. asserted
it → begin → Lady
With refreshing humility and openness to constructive criticism, a Times editor considers the manner in which the newspaper addresses a speaker's point of view. asserted
newspaper → consider → view
And it ends: Kudos to Patrick Healy. asserted
it → end → Healy
Let's hope that people across the media industry will take Josh Blackman's criticism to heart. asserted
people → let → heart
Let's hope so! asserted
's → hope → ?
After reading about Bob Woodward's new book this morning, I've reflected about the relationship between journalists and sources. asserted
I → read → journalists
I take very seriously my connections to reporters, though I never pretend they are friends who owe me anything. asserted
who → take → anything
Some of these relationships have developed over the course of nearly two decades. asserted
Some → develop → decades
Most reporters do not finish their career where they started. asserted
they → finish → career
More often than not, they start at smaller outlets, and if they're successful, move up the ranks. asserted
they → start → ranks
I always take care to respond to journalists at smaller outlets, in part, knowing that that is a relationship I can foster over time. asserted
I → take → time
Indeed, one reporter who started out at the Houston Chronicle moved onto the Wall Street Journal. asserted
who → start → Journal
Other reporters who started out in print moved into TV. asserted
who → start → TV
You never know when a relationship with a reporter will come in handy. asserted
relationship → know → reporter
Over the years, I've had pieces of information that I could provide to just the right person at just the right time, only because of the relationship I've built. uncertain
I → have → relationship
Anecdotally, I've noticed that the reporters who are best at fairly reaching out to both sides are the ones most likely to move up in the world. asserted
who → notice → world
I hope the reporters at the Times can now set the tone for media balance, and it trickles down. asserted
it → hope → balance
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