The New York Times has an editorial condemning President-elect Trump for naming his son in law, Jared Kushner, as a senior White House adviser. It cites "the real dangers posed by nepotism." (The Times, of all people, should know.)
"There's a good reason for anti-nepotism laws," the Times editorial says, warning that when relatives are hired, "they undermine the public's faith that important posts are being filled with the best possible candidates."
Also, "it upends delicate dynamics, as senior staff members keep their mouths shut rather than contradict a trusted relative of their boss."
The concerns the Times editorial raises about nepotism in government might well also apply to, say, a publicly traded company. The Times editorial draws no distinction between nepotism in government and in corporate America.
That's odd, because if there were ever a company familiar with the way that nepotism undermines "faith that important posts are being filled with the best possible candidates" or "upends delicate dynamics," it would be the New York Times Company itself.
As the Times Company's most recent proxy statement put it:
Certain Members of the Ochs-Sulzberger Family Employed by the Company During 2015. Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. was employed as Chairman of the Company and Publisher of The New York Times. Michael Golden was employed as Vice Chairman. See "Compensation of Executive Officers" for a description of their compensation.Michael Greenspon, who was employed as general manager, news services and international, was paid $455,361 and received time-vested restricted stock units with a grant date fair value of $35,721. David Perpich, who was employed as general manager, new digital products, and senior vice president, product, was paid $419,508 and received restricted stock units with a grant date fair value of $32,626. Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, who was employed as senior editor for strategy and an associate editor for The New York Times, was paid $197,880 and received time-vested restricted stock units with a grant date fair value of $6,203.
Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., Michael Golden and the mother of Carolyn D. Greenspon are cousins. Michael Greenspon is Carolyn D. Greenspon's brother. David Perpich is the son of Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.'s sister and Joseph Perpich, a Trustee. Arthur Gregg Sulzberger is Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.'s son.
Or as the Times news article announcing that Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, then 36, had been named deputy publisher put it:
"The Times," Arthur Hays Sulzberger said in 1963 when he named his son publisher, "is a family enterprise."... Mr. Sulzberger, the son of Arthur Sulzberger Jr., who took over as publisher in 1992, was one of three candidates, all cousins. The others were Sam Dolnick, 35, who oversees many initiatives at The Times, including some in virtual reality and podcasts; and David Perpich, 39, who works on the business side and helped put in place The Times's paywall and other subscription products.
The Times manages to issue this editorial denouncing the ill-effects of nepotism without a scintilla of apparent self-awareness or self-deprecating humor. It's almost enough to make a reader nostalgic for the days when the editorial page was edited by Andrew Rosenthal, the son of Timesman A.M. Rosenthal.
Maybe it's possible to make a case that nepotism is no problem in a family business, even a publicly listed one with non-family shareholders, but is a problem in government. I can conceive of such a case myself. But the Times doesn't even try to make that case, instead criticizing Mr. Trump's hiring of Mr. Kushner by citing sweeping principles that would seem to apply just as well to the Times itself.
Mr. Trump might respond to the Times editorial with a note to Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.: "Dear Arthur: I'll agree not to hire any of my relatives the minute you agree to fire all of yours. Sincerely, Donald Trump."