Take politics for example. The NYT, far more than any other press organization, functions to expose or amplify information about scandals, secret agendas, government mistakes and abuse. It interviews, analyzes and reports on candidates for office in ways that routinely, as in maybe twice a month, significantly impact the trajectory of a campaign and subsequently an election.
Another example is Wikileaks, where the NYT played a very important role on several sides of the story. The NYT is very much responsible, especially within the US, of amplifying, editing, and creating much of the narrative around the major Wikileaks dumps it was involved with. And they aren't always a force for "good", and have done a lot to damage Assange's reputation and helped marginalize Wikileaks.
I don't think everything the NYT does is great, but they are a hugely important part of many many world-scale developments.
You could write similar things about its role as an arbiter and editor of culture, about its influence on the public discourse and the ideas that permeate contemporary life, on its role in business and consumer culture (Foxconn, as a recent example). It touches so many things, and reaches so many, as those in tech might call them, "influencers," that it permeates American life, directly and indirectly.
Another example is Wikileaks, where the NYT played a very important role on several sides of the story. The NYT is very much responsible, especially within the US, of amplifying, editing, and creating much of the narrative around the major Wikileaks dumps it was involved with. And they aren't always a force for "good", and have done a lot to damage Assange's reputation and helped marginalize Wikileaks.
I don't think everything the NYT does is great, but they are a hugely important part of many many world-scale developments.
You could write similar things about its role as an arbiter and editor of culture, about its influence on the public discourse and the ideas that permeate contemporary life, on its role in business and consumer culture (Foxconn, as a recent example). It touches so many things, and reaches so many, as those in tech might call them, "influencers," that it permeates American life, directly and indirectly.