Red and Blue Newspapers

Stepping outside my home this morning to gather the morning newspapers, I noticed something that perhaps I had not been paying attention to: the Wall Street Journal, which used to be delivered in a clear wrapper, now comes in a red wrapper.

It then struck me that the New York Post is also delivered in a red wrapper. So perhaps now that the WSJ is owned by Murdoch, delivery is done by the same company.

Then I looked over at the New York Times and I was struck by the fact that the paper comes in a blue wrapper.

So dig this, as Lenny Bruce was wont to say: Based on their wrappers, we are being given the not subtle marketing message that the New York Times is a blue (state) paper, i.e. Democratic/liberal; and the New York Post and Wall Street Journal are red (state) papers, i.e., Republican/conservative.

Can it be that simple? To paraphrase Miss Peggy Lee: Is that all there is to it? Could things be so obvious, on the nose, intentional? Is it just a coincidence? I don't think so. Turns out what you see is what you get.