A New York Times Fleet Week video report has us convinced: the Gray Lady ought to just stick to what she knows, printing ink on paper pulp until that very last reader expires. Now there’s nothing more satisfying for a reporter than a ride-along, a publicist fueled day out with cops—or in this case seamen—and no better way for a journalist to get great material from subjects that have warmed up to a stranger in their midst.
So when the Times sent all around good guy reporter Corey Kilgannon for a harbor tour on a bad ass Navy Seal boat (military hardware admittedly twirls our propeller) we didn’t doubt a kick ass video would accompany the story. But given the circumstances the Times couldn’t have blown it worse had they assigned a five year old with a Fisher Price Pixelvision.

Here’s the too-miserable-to-pay a cameraman Times’ account of riding a bristling—with —weaponry fastest boat on the seas, a montage of technically clueless shots of backs of heads, crudely framed interviews, meaningless zooms, terrible sound and edit free. Reminds us only of a college professors note after we turned in a mediocre bit of art criticism: work like this won’t get you far in life. Times stock holders take note.