FedEx responds to The New York Times article from Nov. 17, 2019

Post by gwright » Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 6:20 PM UTC

nostrademons wrote: post #130

CPLX wrote: post #25

This is stupid. The NY Times, as a business, wasn't a subject of the article. It's not a competition between a media company and a shipping company. It's a piece of journalism. Either that journalism is accurate or it isn't. If it's wrong they should issue a correction, or review how it could be misleading or slanted and offer an alternate perspective. If it's correct they should stand by it. In no event does the wri…

It's an interesting example of the recent shift in public discourse from being focused on truth to being focused on power . All speech has both subjective emotive content ("power") and objective factual content ("truth"), and the interplay between them is part of what makes speech effective. In times of hegemony, though, the "power" content of speech is downplayed. Power relations within society are taken for granted…

Post by atonse » Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 6:21 PM UTC

wbronitsky wrote: post #109

atonse wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, that's not at all what I'm saying. Believe me, I am STRONGLY in the camp of "these goddamn companies need to be held accountable for their tax dodging." However, you can't change the _fact_ that what they're doing is "legal." The issue is with federal tax policy that needs to be changed. I'm talking about the nature of calling bullshit on what companies do to their face, rather than PR firms talking to each othe…

It would continue to seem like the argument here is that we should want corporations to rebut NYT articles in a public forum, which I continue to disagree with, regardless of what the argument is. While we should hold the "truth" to account, open debate cannot be the way to deal with this at every impasse. FedEx is more than welcome to write an article, post a video, or do anything else to rebut the article published…

Post by Dan_JiuJitsu » Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 6:22 PM UTC

CPLX wrote: post #25

This is stupid. The NY Times, as a business, wasn't a subject of the article. It's not a competition between a media company and a shipping company. It's a piece of journalism. Either that journalism is accurate or it isn't. If it's wrong they should issue a correction, or review how it could be misleading or slanted and offer an alternate perspective. If it's correct they should stand by it. In no event does the wri…

Post by wolco » Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 6:24 PM UTC

networkimprov wrote: post #149

philwelch wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The writing of a journalist employed by the NYT, edited by an editor employed by the NYT, for publication in a newspaper sold by the NYT for profit is every bit as much a commercial activity as FedEx delivering packages. In this case the NYT has a target market that is reflexively skeptical of businesses and commercial activity so it is useful for them to obscure what they are doing. The fact remains that the NYT is…

>the NYT is a business primarily focused on seeking profit, no different from FedEx That is incorrect, albeit precisely what FedEx (and many other subjects of investigative journalism) would like us to believe. When "all news is fake news" becomes widespread public perception, that public is doomed to authoritarian rule, most likely by leaders backed by the business elite.

Post by frockington1 » Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 6:27 PM UTC

gregwtmtno wrote: post #98

lstroud wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Corrections don’t sell papers...err get clicks. They also don’t evolve the narrative. Fedex isn’t just challenging the facts. They are challenging the underlying premise that corporations are a net negative on society. I think it would be fascinating to see an actual debate by folks that aren’t politicians, but are willing to put their public reputation on the line.

The Times newsroom doesn't posit premises (and certainly not the one you suggest) or debate tax policy, it reports facts. I find the ignorance on the basics of journalism and its role in American society on hacker news to be shocking and embarrassing.