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You can always count on the New York Times to put its liberal spin on events. For instance, this breaking news headline: “Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader who transformed the map of Europe and presided over the end of the Cold War, has died at 91.”
We can see the spin here: the Times gives Gorbachev credit for being the doer, using the two active-voice verbs “transformed” and “presided.” In other words, the Times is awarding the deceased communist kudos for ending the Cold War and liberating Eastern Europe. Not someone such as, say, the anti-communist Ronald Reagan or other heroes of anti-Soviet resistance.
Breitbart News has already posted an obituary for Gorbachev. So let’s focus on how the Times’ obit chose to remember his life. As we’ll see, the key theme is remembering Gorbachev as the good guy, while downplaying the role of anti-communists who did as much or more to actually end communism.
The Times lays out the case for Gorbachev in the article’s text. According to the newspaper, he “set in motion a series of revolutionary changes that transformed the map of Europe and ended the Cold War that had threatened the world with nuclear annihilation.” Got that? Gorbachev not only liberated Europe from communism but also lessened the risk of nuclear war. But of course, since the Times generously describes him as “a man of openness, vision and great vitality,” how could he do anything less?
In the Times’ view, his legacy stands as “decisively altering the political climate of the world.” Yes, without a doubt, the Times piles it on thick—Gorbachev wasn’t perfect, the article concedes, but at least he wasn’t a Republican.