The biggest problems with the New York Times: fluff stories being given prominence, a withering reporting staff, and credulous hacks ready to put lies from politicians on page one. Welcome to 1964.

The Village Voice reprints a delightful little rant from an anonymous NYT staffer that originally ran 45 years ago. It proves that bullshit lasts longer than anything else. There's fake trend stories:

Times reporters who once kept a watchful eye on the doings and undoings of the numerous agencies supposedly serving the public are now scampering about the city on so-called non-stories, such as features and long background and mood pieces...The Times local news coverage is cute, but not very informative.

A Metro section that ain't what it used to be:

For all practical purposes there is now one City Hall reporter and a part-time housing reporter. The Times now depends for most of its city affairs coverage on the Associated Press, which mans a few "beats" with newspaper hacks; the mail, though which press releases come; and the various department public relations men who will "let you know" if anything important breaks.

And, of course, this stuff:

City politics is now left to reporters so anxious for page-one stories — with an angle and with "color" — that they are biting at every worm dangled before them by gleeful politicians. These stories embarrass the more experienced reporters.

Send an email to Hamilton Nolan, the author of this post, at Hamilton@gawker.com.