In "Taking an Approach," Harris combines style, influences, and methods into one 'move.' In order to write about anything, the writer must 'approach' it. When 'approaching,' the writer takes all her influences and previous knowledge of the subject, whatever that is, with her. The result is that the writer's particular style and biases show in her writing. All texts have 'approaches' including the NY Times and the blogs I'm following.
Since the New York Times is a national newspaper, it's website attempts to mimic the newspaper format: the headlines, the pictures, the editorials all laid out like a newspaper. The NY Times maintains a serious, weighted tone throughout the text. It is an authority to be taken seriously. The Times presents the news from a moderately liberal perspective.
Hot Air takes on a relaxed, colloquial style. It presents the news in sensationalized, and even outrageous headlines accompanied by funny, ironic pictures. On Hot Air, the news is presented almost as entertainment from a conservative perspective even if it's reporting on serious news. Humor, irony, and sarcasm do not make the news any less important, just more fun to read.
Powerline, by contrast, is very minimalist and presents articles in a straight-forward format. The focus here is on the texts and the stories. Powerline attempts to focus in depth on stories it perceives as not getting enough attention from the mainstream media. To do that, it uses a deliberate, lawyerly style from a moderately conservative viewpoint.
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You're one of the few people to have identified the NY Times with taking an approach. I think that sometimes the "approach" is so familiar that it can go unnoticed. Good job noticing.
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