Dem-loving, Trump-hating NYTimes prints gratuitously damaging story on leading Dem candidate. Why?

Four days ago the New York Times threw Biden under the bus:  Headline:

Joe Biden doesn’t look so electable in person

The Democrat front runner was savaged by "opinion columnist" Michelle Goldberg.  A couple of typical lines:

“He may be a likable white man, but his performance on the trail doesn’t inspire confidence.”

“Seeing Biden on the stump often feels like watching an actor who can’t quite remember his lines.  Even if you don’t support him, it’s hard not to feel anxious on his behalf,”

Now:  Barring incompetent error, every major story that makes it into the Times has to be approved by one of their scores of editors.  This hit-piece on Biden would never have made it into the Times if the top management of the NY Times didn't approve it.

But Biden is leading the pack of 25 or so Dem candidates for president.  The Times absolutely loathes Trump and wants the Dems to win.  So why in the world would the Times trash the leading Dem candidate?

Assuming they want the Dems to win the presidency, it makes no sense.  And yet they did it.  So it would be instructive to consider possible reasons for this bizarre, self-damaging act.

One possible explanation is that although Biden is a socialist--pushing "Medicare for all" (i.e. the federal gruberment to run every aspect of health care), free college, taxpayers to repay student loans, free health care even for illegal alien invaders and the like--he's not as far left as Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Fauxcahontas and Bernie.  My guess is that the people who own the Times think they can get greedy, gullible voters to elect one of those four, who are decidedly MORE-socialist than Biden.

Sound far-fetched?  Sure.  But the fact remains that the solidly-left NYTimes printed a story gratuituously damaging to the leading Dem candidate.  And they did it on purpose.

If anyone has a more plausible explanation I'd love to hear it.