You are forgetting that the big tech ad companies are cooking the numbers in other ways making them generally untrustworthy. Ask yourself deep down do you trust Meta or Google.
The New York Times doesn't have to bullshit because people want to use it, thus it's a more trustworthy advertising point.
The NYT has been caught bullshitting at least a few times including one that started/worsened a major atrocity that's still ongoing