Does the NYT really think that xkcd is "wildly popular among techies the world over for its witty use of programming code in its gags"? I literally winced at th

Does the NYT really think that xkcd is "wildly popular among techies the world over for its witty use of programming code in its gags"? I literally winced at that. Are newspapers legally obligated to get it subtly wrong when talking about subjects that I, personally, know about?