Collin Anderson writes for the Washington Free Beacon about a likely double standard involving a major legacy media outlet.
In the buildup to the release of his memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, California governor Gavin Newsom had an offer for his supporters: Contribute “ANY AMOUNT” to Newsom’s PAC—even “a few bucks”—and receive “a copy of my new book when it comes out.” …
… The plea, which Newsom repeated in identical Facebook posts and fundraising emails between early November and late January, is certain to increase sales of Young Man in a Hurry (which is also the title of the 1992 biography of Bill Clinton by Jim Moore). But it could also get him in trouble with the prestigious New York Times Best Sellers list, a perch on which is a valuable accolade for a presidential candidate trying to be taken seriously. …
… The Times‘s complex and secretive methodologies have led to accusations over the years that it excludes books by conservatives in favor of books by members of the liberal literary and media establishment. In recent years, conservative authors such as Clay Travis, Michael Knowles, and Todd Starnes have not made the list despite ranking high on comparable lists by Publishers Weekly and Nielsen BookScan. The Times, when challenged, has denied bias and claimed it uses different and better methodologies.
Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican senator who is expected to seek the 2028 Republican nomination, is one conservative who has sparred with the Times over its list. In 2015, the Times refused to place his debut book, A Time for Truth, on its Best Sellers list “despite the fact that the book has sold more copies in its first week than all but two of the Times’ bestselling titles,” Politico reported. The Times cited an “overwhelming preponderance of evidence … that sales were limited to strategic bulk purchases.”
