GM made to shorten response to Friedman

[sciguy_0504]

General Response

When New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman called General Motors, "dangerous to America," accused the company of buying votes in Congress, and compared it to a "crack dealer" last month, GM responded to the charges with a strongly-worded letter to the editor.

But the Times never published it because GM refused to edit out the word "rubbish." GM reluctantly agreed to cut its response from 490 words to 200 and to remove a sentence calling Friedman's accusations "irresponsible."

But a GM spokesman says the company refused to back down when the Times claimed using the word "rubbish" to describe Friedman's arguments was "not the tone we use in Letters."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199205,00.html - Scroll to bottom

[aaaantoine]

Well that's just rubbish.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

The "New York Times" can kiss my skinny white ass.

[DetroitNut90]

GM should write about how dangerous the NY Times is to America in its FastLane blog...

[buyacargetacheck]

The irony from my perspective is that GM refused to post my message about Friedman on its "fastlaneblog," despite being supportive of GM and not using foul language.

Edited June 14, 2006 by buyacargetacheck

[regfootball]

maybe GM doesn't want to over do it.

as Denny Green would say, 'they are taking the high road'.

Edited June 14, 2006 by regfootball

[G. David Felt]

NY Times, Another way to say East Coast Trash Reporting. I have yet to see any real benefit come out of that over priced News Paper. Course, NY is just a Cess Pool of @#$@! IMHO. Very disappointed when I visited Time square for a business trip. They have no clue about the real world. Just their smelly lousy city of filth and stench.

:fcvxplode:

[aaaantoine]

  NY Times, Another way to say East Coast Trash Reporting.  I have yet to see any real benefit come out of that over priced News Paper.  Course, NY is just a Cess Pool of @#$@!  IMHO.  Very disappointed when I visited Time square for a business trip.  They have no clue about the real world.  Just their smelly lousy city of filth and stench.

:fcvxplode:

I very much resent that.

...Although I have zero respect for the New York Times.

They don't publish comic strips! What the hell kind of newspaper doesn't have funny pages!?

[sciguy_0504]

I very much resent that.

...Although I have zero respect for the New York Times.

They don't publish comic strips! What the hell kind of newspaper doesn't have funny pages!?

That's what the NYT editorial page is for.

[CSpec]

...did I just wander into a Klan meeting?

[Mr.Krinkle]

  NY Times, Another way to say East Coast Trash Reporting.  I have yet to see any real benefit come out of that over priced News Paper.  Course, NY is just a Cess Pool of @#$@!  IMHO.  Very disappointed when I visited Time square for a business trip.  They have no clue about the real world.  Just their smelly lousy city of filth and stench.

:fcvxplode:

thats too bad, sometimes this city just chews people up and doesnt even bother to spit them back out. you should have seen times square before disney bought it. or you could just watch taxi driver, travis sums it up much nicer

i dont know what kind of problem you had here but it doesnt get more real than ny. its not for everybody but it doesnt make it less. ive been in plenty of farming towns that smell much worse so i really dont know what your beef is...it sounds like you lost all your money playing three card monty or are just an horribly unlucky person.

as far as the times goes, that really has nothing to do with ny. its not printed with the city in mind, the news and the post are printed for everyday normal people.

people are going to believe what they want to believe and there is no need to reply to every bull$h! story by some lunatic hack. sometimes the high road is more appropriate. GM is really no better if they counter point every one of this nutbars rants. the times' credibility has been tanking for years so this is really just par for the course. there are better ways to handle situations like this, not passing notes back and forth like were in the 6th grade.

i believe people who were on the fence arent persuaded by such propaganda.

...did I just wander into a Klan meeting?

i think the militia is retooling.

[carman21]

The New York Times is totally unadulterated crap! I live in Jersey and the NYT doesn't reflect NYC or it suburbs. The NYT is bunch of wierdos with no real world experience with the real America that actually exists. Tom Friedman problably feels more at home in England where there are know British Automakers anymore. Tom Friedman can go to hell, along with all the rest of those F*** ups.

[Mr Plow 2500HD]

Speaking of DECLINE go look for NYTimes sub rates and circulation numbers. btw Its ok to use the word rubbish if they agree with you

[FAPTurbo]

This is the type of free press Canadians and North American's are fighting overseas for?

Honestly, describing GM as a "Crack Dealer" seems more offensive than refuting Friedman's arguments as rubbish.

And giving GM only 200 words? That is totally ineffective for a rebuttal and could furthur make GM look foolish. Either the entire editorial board agrees with Friedman, or they are worried that the readership may decline once they get the other side of the story.

Despite the opinions posted on this page, the NY Times is generally regarded as a model of journalistic integrity and good, fair reporting.

But their actions against GM fly in the face of that integrity.

[longtooth]

In this world/country, perception is reality.

love those smilies. Thanks C&G.

[Flybrian]

But a GM spokesman says the company refused to back down when the Times claimed using the word "rubbish" to describe Friedman's arguments was "not the tone we use in Letters."

Maybe not in Letters, but I think The Omen production house Twentieth Century Fox may have a bone to pick with Stephen Holden...

Thunder, Rottweilers and Damien at the Zoo in 'The Omen' - Stephen Holden - 6.6.06

In the Lee Remick role of Robert's wife, Katherine, Julia Stiles has taken another wasteful misstep in her largely mismanaged career; too intelligent and talented for this sort of rubbish, she should be following the same high road as Maggie Gyllenhaal.

[I hope GMRULES again]

Gm got into this mess because of their foolish Wal mart gimmick of capping the price of gas at $1.99. They wer just opening the door for these kind of attacks.

[Flybrian]

Gm got into this mess because of their foolish Wal mart gimmick of capping the price of gas at $1.99. They wer just opening the door for these kind of attacks.

Please do explain how what GM did is any different than Chrysler giving away gas for a year or Volkswagen giving away 1000 gallons of gas with every car or truck purchase?

[FAPTurbo]

Please do explain how what GM did is any different than Chrysler giving away gas for a year or Volkswagen giving away 1000 gallons of gas with every car or truck purchase?

Might be for a couple reasons...

One... he MAY have owned a GM at one time and something didn't work out too well...

Two... GM is still Number One. Therefore, it makes easier to hit and criticize them. If you're number one, you are going to take the flack. (McDonalds always catching hell for fat kids despite the fact that it's oils are healthier and has a more nutritious menu than Burger King or KFC and yet those two rarely catch hell)

and Three... He might be preaching to the choir. He may have a good idea of the demographic that reads his columns. They may likely be import drivers or not drive large SUV's... Instead of upsetting the readership, he keeps them happy, they keep reading, he keeps his job.

[lakefire]

Maybe not in Letters, but I think The Omen production house Twentieth Century Fox may have a bone to pick with Stephen Holden...

Thunder, Rottweilers and Damien at the Zoo in 'The Omen' - Stephen Holden - 6.6.06

Hahah, I did the exact same thing when I heard about this article. When you search for Rubbish in NYT you get somewhere along 1300 finds.

http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?quer...bish&srchst=nyt

[drew770]

The New York Times might be the standard of newspapers of the past but now it has shown it's true colors by being anti-american, anti-christians, anti-big business and anti-republicans.

If you want to be a true newspaper I would think you would want to express the views of all American not just New York Liberals.

[Shantanu]

Even in the New York City area not that many people read the NY Times. Maybe 50 years ago, the foreign correspondents of the NY Times set the standard for journalism in America. But it hasn't been a leader in journalism for some time, although it seems to think of itself that way. It basically is what people mistakenly accuse GM of being: caught up in its past, and unable to realize its current place in the world.

Edited June 15, 2006 by Shantanu

[I hope GMRULES again]

Please do explain how what GM did is any different than Chrysler giving away gas for a year or Volkswagen giving away 1000 gallons of gas with every car or truck purchase?

It isn't any different and all three are a bit ridiculous. Just makes the company look desperate which makes it very easy for guys like this to rip them apart.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

THIS is a prime example of how acceptable it has become to ridicule and destroy GM (or other great american icons) for no reason...

AND, this is a GREAT example of why GM won't win the battle... They CANNOT defend themselves in because their enemies OWN the playing field.

I don't think the NY Times has that big of an impact and this WAS an opinion piece... In fact, this is the first I've heard of it.

[njtex]

The NY Times has had running battles with most car manufacturers in the open and behind the scenes for years.

Let's just say that they are about as responsible with press cars as they are with their writing!

[haypops]

http://altmans.com/content.asp?id=211

1.99 gas is gowing in popularity!

[hyperv6]

Anyone notice Friedman is now doing a TV special on Oil next Saturday for Discover Channel? Discover has a working agreements with the Times.

Was this whole story done to press GM's buttons to react like their LA Times responce of last year and get publicity?

It would not have been the first time the Times has manipulated the truth or news to fit their own needs.

This kind of looks like the bad 007 movie from a few yars back when the News network owner made his own news and tried to start a nuclear war.

How soon till they get Maureen Dodd to attack Bob Lutz and call him the evil Chaney of the automotive world.

I know there most likely no connection here but it does make one wonder.