The New York Times — America's most expensive birdcage liner — just published a piece defending "The View" against FCC scrutiny, and NewsBusters had exactly the right response: Are you kidding us right now?

This is like one dumpster fire writing a letter of support for another dumpster fire. "Dear sir, please do not extinguish my colleague. She provides valuable warmth to the homeless."

Let's be clear about what's happening here. The FCC is finally — FINALLY — doing its job and looking into whether broadcast networks are meeting basic standards of accuracy and public interest. And the moment that scrutiny lands anywhere near a left-leaning gabfest, the legacy media circles the wagons like it's Little Bighorn and Joy Behar is Custer.

The Times, which has spent the last decade cheerleading every federal investigation into conservative media, every deplatforming, every advertiser boycott against right-leaning shows, suddenly discovered that government oversight of broadcasting is a threat to democracy. Convenient timing.

As Tim Graham at NewsBusters pointed out, the Times has a fascinating definition of press freedom — it only applies to people who agree with the Times editorial board. When the FCC was being weaponized against conservative broadcasters, the Gray Lady had nothing to say. When Fox News faced regulatory pressure, the Times ran victory laps. But touch "The View" and suddenly we're living in 1984.

Here's what the media protectionism crowd doesn't want you to think about: "The View" isn't journalism. It's not news. It's five women yelling over each other while spreading misinformation that would get any conservative podcast banned from every platform on Earth. Whoopi Goldberg has said things on that show that would end careers if a Republican said them at a private dinner party.

But the New York Times wants you to believe this program deserves special protection from the same regulatory body that oversees every other broadcaster in America.

The selective outrage is the whole game. The Times doesn't believe in press freedom — they believe in progressive freedom. They believe their allies should be able to say anything, broadcast anything, mislead anyone, and face zero consequences. Meanwhile, if you're conservative and you misspell a word on social media, that's "dangerous misinformation" that requires congressional hearings.

NewsBusters nailed it. The paper of record isn't defending free speech. They're defending their team. They're running interference for a show that has spent years spreading conspiracy theories about elections, vaccines, and everything else — but only the approved conspiracy theories, so it's fine.

The FCC exists for a reason. Broadcasting uses public airwaves. There are standards. And if "The View" can't meet those standards, maybe the problem isn't the FCC — maybe it's "The View."

But sure, New York Times. Keep writing love letters to your fellow dumpster fires. We'll be over here watching accountability finally show up to the party.