The NYT doesn't centrally decide to embark on this or that campaign. For the columnists, it's important to remember that they don't work at NYT's offices, and they don't participate in meeting etc. Quite literally, their job is writing whatever comes into their mind, then faxing or sending it to their editor. In response, they get money.

If you see a sudden burst of articles regarding a subject, it may not be a conspiracy, but rather:

- Different people having the same reaction to some set of events

- Coincidence

- Our tendency to find more and more examples once we have noticed any sort of trend