Anti-German Bias and the New York Times

Pulled from two articles published online by the esteemed New York Times on 22 November 2012:

„The euro was established as a common currency with too little preparation and institutional support. And, over the past year, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has been destructively pushing her partners to enact laws that would prolong the recession by setting rigid deficit ceilings, denying countries the fiscal flexibility sometimes needed to revive growth.“ (Editorial: Britain’s Place in Europe)

„Whisper it quietly, but the real champion in the group turned out to be Dortmund. The German club, …“ (Global Soccer: Teams From Germany and Spain Dominate Champions League)

Both reinforce the impression, that a strong and continuing anti-German bias has been prevalent for months (years) now in the New York Times‚ commentary on the European financial crisis; often outspokenly such as in much of Paul Krugman’s analysis of economic and fiscal policy in the Eurozone, establishing the narrative of a German-dominated and German-rooted austerity folly (and bullying of the Southern periphery) while reeking of self-righteousness1 and myopic sensationalism, at other times highly manipulative in its portrayal of German issues or general topics wherein carefully placed characterisations2 and cheap shots tinge the account (mingling fact and fiction) and fuel anti-German stereotypes.

But let’s rather whisper it quietly, to what lows the Times has sunk…

1: Krugman’s firm and long-standing bias reveals itself already in an comment on the 1990s‘ sick man of Europe which is still available on his MIT-website: Why Germany Kant Kompete.
2: Such as the „Teutonic[s‘] guttural jeering“ (here) or the Germans‘ ex negativo characteristics (lack of passion, flexibility, „individual prowess“) as smugly devised by Roger Cohen.

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