'NYT' on 'Atlantic' Deathwatch Story: 'Poor Analysis'

Guess who wasn't too happy about that Atlantic article saying The New York Times might go out of business in May?

Yup: The New York Times.

Michael Hirschorn's worst-case-scenario chin-stroker "may make for a good a story but it is poor analysis," says a Times spokeswoman in an open letter posted on Jim Romenesko's media blog. "People in the media industry are working extraordinarily hard to find creative solutions to the issues they face. It is a time for clear thinking and analysis, not uninformed speculation."

Of course, other, more disinterested critics have already pointed out some of the rather glaring flaws in Hirschorn's piece. The Times spokeswoman says they could have been avoided: "It's not unusual that a journalist calls the subject of a piece before actually publishing the article or column. In fact, in some areas of journalism that's standard practice. We wish that had happened with this story. We could have helped."