Just received a note from Jack Ross saying "Kahanist Thunderbolt Is Going Under!" It referred me to this editorial from Seth Lipsky, editor of the New York Sun, warning that the paper is scrambling for new funding and may well close by the end of the month:
A few quick thoughts. Financial genius Bruce Kovner was a backer of the paper. Kovner the supporter of Juilliard has supported many neocon ventures but lately was seen giving support to a realist. I think he's moving on politically.
The Sun has done great work, often stunning for such a young paper (7 years). Tim Marchman, the sports writer, great. Adam Kirsch, wonderful writer, though I always disagree with him. A great arts page, great books page. And god knows they did good journalism too. They broke a lot of stories in Jewish organizational and political life, and Middle East policy too.
They also sipped poison. Seth Lipsky is said to be a Revisionist Zionist, Jabotinsky's maximalist crowd. He was not straightforward with me about his paper's agenda on the one occasion that I interviewed him about it, and that agenda was Jewish chauvinist. He listed ten things the paper was about and I had to say, Israel? And then he said, well yes of course. We were meeting in the Harvard Club. He pointed out the paintings of antisemitic presidents as he worked, a lot of ethnic resentment in his remarks. They were often vicious toward enlightened Jews, for instance the great Tony Judt. The managing editor, Ira Stoll, wrote in early 2003 that those who were demonstrating against the Iraq war in the streets of New York should be investigated for "treason." This was a horrifying statement, and it reflected the paper's rebarbative and anachronistic views. We love our country, wanted to save it from this terrible mistake the neocons were pushing. Did they ever reform or apologize? I think not. And is that why they are going under? I think it an important factor. They are out of step. The world is moving forward. Good luck to all the writers looking for work.
