In the Columbia Journalism Review, Michael Massing argues that "the New York Times pop-culture reporting is ambitious and hip, but manages to miss half the story." While the Times has made huge strides in moving away from its "thoroughly high-minded" approach to culture, the paper has also steered away from any commentary on the broader social impact of pop culture. The paper's coverage of pop culture may "brim with news about boardroom struggles, mogul rivalries, high-stakes dealmaking, ratings shares, marketing strategies, publicity blitzes, technological innovations, branding, and franchising," but there's little or no reflection on what it all means in a broader context:

"The Times has neglected a critical aspect of pop culture — its effects on society. With the entertainment world grown so pervasive, with its products so thoroughly infiltrating the nation’s households, its influence on kids, families, and communities has intensified as well. Yet the Times, like most mainstream news media, pays all that only sporadic attention...."