There was a time when The New York Times never had to say anything back. If the newspaper caught hell for a story in the popular media, editors at the paper could rely on the time-tested formulation: “The story speaks for itself.” When critics carped about the newspapers’ editorial vision, business plan, or financial position, it was once enough for Arthur Sulzberger or Janet Robinson to just sort of roll their eyes and move along. At the end of the day, The New York Times was still The New York Times.
Back in October, executive editor Bill Keller held one of his regular “state of the newsroom” meetings (“Throw Stuff at Bill,” they are informally called even by Mr.

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