Blast from the past

This is a fascinating quote from a Power Line post on journalism:

"It is also true that The New York Times is not a crusading newspaper. It is impressed with the responsibility of what it prints. It is conservative and independent, and so far as possible -- consistent with honest journalism -- attempts to aid and support those who are charged with the responsibility of government. There are many newspapers conducted along different lines, some of them vicious, ill-natured, and destructive of character and reputation, and for mere purposes of sensation they frequently terrorize well qualified and well meaning men to the point where they are discouraged from accepting invitations to give their ability, genius, and experience to the administration of public affairs."

Your immediate reaction will probably be "Huh?" as this is the exact opposite of everything the hyperpartisan Times represents in 2007. And that reaction would be justified; the quote is from a 1931 letter written by then-publisher William Ochs. It is impossible to imagine a contemporary journalist thinking, much less saying, such a thing.

Would it be possible to better capture the decline of American journalism in recent decades?