“So what is their motive?”
I have heard from more than one source, that the NYT was thoroughly penetrated by the CIA many years ago, and has functioned, not only as a propaganda arm of the left, but as a propaganda arm of the CIA. The more I look at this issue, the more I suspect that the CIA (or rogue elements from within it) might have been behind the anthrax attacks.
Why the CIA would have an interest in them is a good question ~ maybe the neat haircuts or something eh.