Deep Read: Arthur Sulzberger in 'CJR'

Speaking of Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the New York Times publisher comes in for some rough treatment at the hands of the the Columbia Journalism Review, which takes stock of the paper's situation in its July/August issue and finds it, not surprisingly, tenuous.

Whether Sulzberger is the ideal skipper to steer the Times through these troubled waters is the central question posed in the article. The author, Douglas McCollam, notes that Sulzberger's foppish manner of dress as a young man -- he often sported a hat and cane -- "led many to dismiss him as a lightweight," and, at 56, he's still referred to in the family as "young Arthur."

Writes McCollam:

To date in his tenure as publisher and chairman, he has at times displayed the immaturity that made some think him unsuitable to run the company, and at other junctures been prescient in his vision of both the paper and the industry.

and:

Though admired for his passion in defending the cause of journalism, that same fervor has at times been seen as pushing him to damage the very institution he sought to defend. In some precincts, it has fueled his reputation as a mercurial man not quite up to leading the country's most esteemed news organization.

Those qualities -- the mercurial immaturity and the journalistic zeal -- were on display in his handling of both the Jayson Blair fiasco and the Valerie Plame/Judith Miller saga. In the latter instance, Sulzberger somehow managed to position himself as Miller's most ardent champion -- badly misjudging the mood within the paper and the consensus of First Amendment lawyers on her case -- while also leaving Miller feeling betrayed in the end.

"Both the Blair and Miller episodes," writes McCollam, "contributed to a picture of Sulzberger's leadership style as somewhat chaotic, one that veered sharply from an all-out defense of his staffers to their swift excommunication when things got tough."

Unfortunately, the article's not online. I'll link it if that changes.