The Contradictions of Corporate Media

Summary: The New York Times and other corporate media continue to present themselves as defenders of democracy but fail to confront their complicity in the structures undermining democratic empowerment in the United States.

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Yesterday morning, as I read the latest New York Times editorial about our constitutional crisis, it felt necessary to confront the foundational contradictions in its rhetoric about defending democracy.

Corporate Power in American Democracy

The New York Times is a shareholder corporation currently trading on the New York Stock Exchange with a valuation exceeding $8 billion. Its status as a shareholder corporation means that like every other publicly traded company, it is legally obligated to prioritize shareholder returns over social interests. Nowhere in the corporate governance documents for the media corporation will you find any mention of the word democracy or commitments to uphold the principles of the United States Constitution.

Interestingly, the U.S. Constitution does not define a role for corporations in national governance, yet corporate interests have steadily expanded their civil rights and political power throughout American history. Through campaign financing, lobbying, regulatory capture, media monopolization, and more, corporate interests and institutions have positioned themselves as arbiters of power—ironically, in the name of democracy.

The recent New York Times editorial rightly warns of the current administration’s abuses of power, but it fails to acknowledge its own moral contradictions in championing principles it is not structured to defend. The Washington Post, which brands itself with the slogan 'Democracy Dies in Darkness,' now plays a similar game under the ownership of Jeff Bezos. Ahead of the most recent election, critical editorials and cartoons were blocked from publication—not in service of democracy, but to protect Bezos’ position in American plutocracy.¹

If democracy is to mean more than plutocratic corruption and elitist virtue-signaling, then we must restore integrity to what it means to have a government by the people and for the people.

Calling for a Responsible Awakening

For too long, we have normalized a media culture that punches down on the contradictions of "the other side" without confronting its own. Now that we are well into the second Trump administration, can we finally put an end to this virtue-signaling and foster reforms that effectively strengthen a democracy by the people and for the people?

There will be an era of U.S. history after this administration, and now is the opportunity to shape it with a restoration of constitutional principles and moral integrity.

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Mike Rabin, MBA is the founder and steward of the Corporate Purpose Project, which examines the role of corporations in American society through the principles of the U.S. Constitution. His work explores the intersections of corporate power and democracy, focusing on addressing this era’s systemic challenges at their foundational sources.

1. Jeff Bezos defends decision to end Washington Post endorsements: After resignations and loss of subscribers, billionaire owner pens piece saying endorsements create ‘perception of bias’ (The Guardian, 28 October 2024)

Washington Post cartoonist resigns over paper’s refusal to publish cartoon critical of Jeff Bezos: Pulitzer prize winner Ann Telnaes had drawn a cartoon of the paper’s owner kneeling before Donald Trump (The Guardian, 4 January 2025)