23 Apr 2018 Fox News Covers Free Enterprise Project’s Request for an Audit of the NY Times Best Sellers List

A request from the National Center’s Free Enterprise Project (FEP) for the New York Times to audit the method it uses to determine best-selling books was covered by Fox News.

At the recent annual shareholder meeting of the Times, FEP Director Justin Danhof, Esq. asked corporate leaders of the alleged “paper of record” to perform an audit out of concern that the paper’s best-seller list intentionally overlooks items from conservative authors.

As Fox News reported:

Danhof says he accused the Times of refusing to explain its policies for selecting best-sellers and issuing simple, blanket statements when called out for bias against conservative authors. He says he offered several examples of conservative authors and publishing companies who have been left off or dropped down the prestigious best-seller list.

For example, Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life was not on the Times list of best-selling books despite recently appearing fifth on Amazon’s list. Earlier, Mark Levin accused the paper of not accurately reporting his book sales. Publisher Regnery is also so fed up with suspected bias at the Times that it will no longer use the paper’s best-seller status in the marketing of their books that actually do make the list.

Fox News noted that “Danhof said that when he suggested an independent audit, the Sulzbergers said it was an interesting idea and something to think about before moving on.” The report added that “[t]he New York Times did not respond to multiple requests for comment and confirmation.”

FEP’s press release reported:

Times Chairman Arthur Sulzberger avoided the questioned and claimed that the company must protect the process to avoid a situation in which authors might game the system to get on the list. His son, Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger, took the façade a step further and claimed that there is simply no bias in the process and that many liberals have also complained about their books not being on the list.

In the release, Justin commented:

Since the Sulzbergers clearly weren’t answering my question, I interjected and noted that I was providing them a very simple process by which they could prove that the company isn’t biased against conservative authors. If they were to agree to an independent audit, and the audit uncovered exactly what the two were claiming, they would be able to point to direct, objective evidence that the company’s liberal stance doesn’t influence the best-seller decision-making process.

In advocating for the best-seller list audit at the meeting, Justin reminded the Sulzbergers and other corporate leaders, as well as assembled shareholders, that “[w]ithout transparency, those denials are meaningless.”

To read the complete Fox News story, click here.