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We've run those laps quite a few times, but it's interesting how "elite" gets defined. Someone with a seven-figure salary can accrue an eight-figure net worth pretty trivially, which certainly allows for a fairly extravagant lifestyle with little or no risk. But it's true, the modal person with that income level is going to be something fairly ordinary sounding. Who's elite, the car dealer that has secured generational wealth for his family, or the New York Times editor that has high-ranking DoJ officials on speed dial?
I wouldn't say the New York Times editor is all that elite as an individual.
He's part of a powerful group, certainly, but the only power he exercises is on behalf of the group and in conjunction with the rest of the group. He has little individual decision making power and is not a mover or shaker in his own right. If he goes against the group, he's out. And he's unlikely to have significant pull within the group on his own either. He may have DoJ officials on speed dial, but he certainly can't call in favours on his own personal behalf and he will be in trouble if he attempts. He's a cog in a machine.
This is in fact reflected in their income which is ~$76k a year on average. That's certainly not nothing, but it certainly isn't fuck-you money either. It's enough to live comfortably, but it's not going to allow you to build a serious buffer so you can pick fights later.
The car dealer may be further removed from national power in a 'six degrees of Kevin Bacon' sense, but he has more money. If he, as an individual, wants to try and get something done, he has more money to try it with. If someone picks a fight with him, he has more money to defend himself. As an individual, he is in a better position than the NYT editor.
On a national scale neither is elite, their individual influence can both be rounded down to zero. But don't forget that in small towns, people like this successful car dealer are often the ones who rule the roost. The car dealer's words will have measurable weight there, if he wants them to.
If he as an individual wants to change anything political, the New York Times editor has a lot more ability to do it even if he has a smaller salary.
Well, I doubt that.
The editors aren't there of their own accord, even the chief editor isn't there on his own behalf. They're people doing jobs. Of course any of them could go rogue and maybe manage to get something published once or twice, but they would be swiftly removed from their positions. If their loyalty was in question they wouldn't have been hired in the first place.
The owners could reposition the paper, but then again, no one doubts that the Sulzbergers are anything but elite.
I'd suggest that the editors have discretion within a big range. We all know about Cade Metz' hit piece on Scott. I doubt that the owner said "Go do a hit piece on Scott". He did it on his own, having permission to do anything within the broad category "calling people Nazis and favoring the left".
It's true that he couldn't write any story whatsoever; I'm sure a pro-Trump story would get him fired. But being an editor at the Times gave him a huge amount of power. There's no way a car dealer could do that.
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