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In the eyes of the Times, the transformation of tycoon Carlos Slim from "robber baron" to "shrewd businessman"

I'm not sure this exposes the "liberal political agenda" that the TimesWatch blog aims to document, but it sure suggests that money changes everything.

TimesWatch's Clay Waters points out that, just two years ago, the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu was described as a "robber baron" by a Times editorial writer.

Now Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger, writing in Time magazine, calls Slim "a very shrewd businessman with an appreciation for great brands." (Sulzberger wasn't writing in the Times, but if he doesn't speak for the Times, who does?)

Money changes everything

What changed? Slim recently lent $250 million (at a 14% interest rate) to the New York Times Company, triggering this comment from former Times editorial writer Andres Martinez, "But from now on, any Times utterances on Mexico will now be interpreted, fairly or not, through the prism of Slim's stake in the company."

Imagine what Sulzberger might say in Time magazine about the "very shrewd businessman" named Bruce Ratner?

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