Margaret Sullivan, the Public Editor of the New York Times, writing about perceptions that the Times is only for the wealthy:
So who is The Times written for — the superwealthy, or for citizens of all income levels? Is the paper trying, in the axiom about journalism’s mission, to “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted”? Or is it plumping the Hungarian goose-down pillows of the already quite cozy?
I asked the executive editor, Dean Baquet, whom he has in mind when he directs coverage and priorities.
“I think of The Times reader as very well-educated, worldly and likely affluent,” he said. “But I think we have as many college professors as Wall Street bankers.”
Oh, good. The audience runs the gamut of the net worth spectrum, from upper class to upper middle class. Glad you see yourself as catering to both sides.
Meanwhile, from the Nieman Reports, 16% Percent of Americans live in poverty (49.7 million total), but 0.2% of news stories covered poverty between 2007-2012.