The owners like to think of themselves as the decision-making elite of the country, and the White House flatters that delusion by giving them illusion of being

The owners like to think of themselves as the decision-making elite of the country, and the White House flatters that delusion by giving them illusion of being consulted. This creates sympathy for the WH's views at the top of the NYT, and that attitude percolates implicitly to the editors.