The NY Times is so broke it’s offering poorly researched, potentially dangerous tours of Iran

Smartertimes’ Ira Stoll reports that the cash-strapped New York Times is “seeking new revenue opportunities as a tour operator, since its revenues in traditional areas such as newspaper subscriptions and advertising are not growing fast enough to satisfy investors.”

 The newspaper is currently soliciting participants for what it’s calling “Iran: Tales from Persia,” a 13-day, 12-night trip with the Times‘ former Paris bureau chief, Elaine Sciolino that will cost at least $6,995, as internal Iranian airfare is not included. The trip will begin with a tour of museums in Tehran, in which “[y]our guide will discuss each museum in length to ensure you have an excellent base knowledge ready for the rest of the tour.” On the second day, the guide will escort participants to “the biblical tomb of Ester and Mordechai,” where “[l]egend states that Ester established an early Jewish colony in Persia in the late 17th century.”

The biblicalBook of Esther is thought by most scholars to be set during the reign of Xerxes I, who ruled from 486-465 BCE. The fifth day will feature a drive through the Zagros Mountain range, where individuals can “[s]ee the tribes folk living their rural lives and listen to the ancient tales your guide will relive as we journey through.”

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