What's with the fluff from the Times?

The New York Times must be feeling the pinch or letting unpaid interns run the show these days. What's with all the puff pieces, the spoon-fed news releases masquerading as stories, and the lack of balance? What happened to fact-checking? Where's the rest of the story?
Read a letter by Priscilla Feral, President of Friends of Animals as published in the Times (April 2008)
Support a ban on horse-drawn carriages

Cruelty isn't a tourist attraction

Kathleen gets it right: animal cruelty is a real turn-off

"Please let me know who to write to support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Times Square. We have similiar carriage horses in Colorado and they do not look at all like their cousins in Times Square. Those poor horses are surrounded by constant noise, people and bright light, and who knows how they are treated. During a recent visit, a friend and I saw a pair of horses that looked so miserable, we kept petting them, not wanting to leave them to their questionable plight...these two looked exhausted, possibly underfed and really miserable, and it didn’t seem that an outside agency is making sure these animals are properly cared for, including limited time periods spent pulling in Times Square."— Posted by Kathleen, April 22, 2008

Comment on the Web site of The New York Times ("A Face-Off Over Horse-Drawn Carriages"), Feb 14, 2008
Comment moderation on the Times' City Room blog is waning and a response hasn't been posted.

Ed's note: Kathleen may have seen horses that were on the way back to their stables on the west side.