No no, you've got it backwards: NYT is paying competent people obscene amounts of money to be as willfully obtuse as humanly possible without too many readers catching on.

See their coverage of anything to do with cops, Israel, conservative Democrats (including but not limited to the entirety of the DNC leadership), and "moderate Republicans" (actually paleoconservatives made to look less extreme by literal fascists and anarcho-capitalists taking over).

They're not the "paper of record" because of the quality of their reporting as much as their popularity amongst the rich and powerful who decide what goes on the record.