It's not news if it makes smug environmentalists uncomfortable

The New York Times finally reported on the UN study that found the global livestock industry contributes more to global warming than even cars. (An editorial responding to the study was published last December, weakly concluding that there is no way to reduce the amount of meat we eat, but the paper's news section was silent until last week.) Except this wasn't an article about the UN report at all, but rather about the rift between animal rights groups and mainstream environmental organizations over whether to inform people that meat and dairy are a principle cause of global warming. Even better, it was stuck in the business section under the heading "advertising" (PETA, the Humane Society, and others are starting to run ads on the connection). Now this certainly is a legitimate news story, but it seems a bit strange that The New York Times, which has covered global warming from every other angle, will run this kind of story while otherwise ignoring the issue of meat.