RAINES TO STAFF: I FEEL YOUR PAIN

New York Post ^ | 5/30/03 | Paul Tharp

[kattracks]

May 30, 2003 -- New York Times editors have made yet another appeal to appease its angry and scandal-weary staffers - this time about the use of freelancers.

A memo yesterday from Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd said the paper is going to sort out its policy on the use of freelancers, but didn't say exactly what that would entail.

[Timesink]

The memo:

To the Staff,

In the last couple of days, we have all been seeing our great corps of correspondents, especially those on the national staff, depicted unfairly in various news accounts involving the use of stringers and freelancers.

We don't recognize ourselves or you in that picture.

The Times has a long and legitimate tradition of using nonstaff journalists to assist correspondents in their reporting, by conducting interviews, providing research help or covering the distances between scatteredscenes of news events. But as a general rule, nonstaffers only supplement our correspondents' own basic reporting. They do not substitute for it. We have heard from many of you that you share those understandings. We know that. We are proud of the work you continue to do under those ground rules.

A few days ago, in response to a reader's letter, we confirmed that an article in June 2002 represented a clear departure from those standards. That was the only departure of such magnitude that we uncovered. We printed an editors. note to let our readers know that we continue to stand behind our proper reporting methods. We didn't believe, and don't believe now, that the facts can sustain an "everybody does it" attitude.

Our use of stringers and freelancers will remain judicious. We trust our correspondents to be the best judges of how much help they need for a given story, considering constraints of time and distance. We encourage correspondents to talk with their assigning editors in case of doubt, and to keep those editors aware of who is giving the assistance.

The Siegal Committee, which is examining our processes, will be looking at our crediting practices, perhaps recommending ways to give readers a better idea of what assistance we employ.

But that is for later. For now, we just want to thank our staff for being worthy of our confidence and our readers' trust.

The course we are embarked on will take time, teamwork, and patience. We welcome your counsel and promise to report regularly in person and in notes to you.

Howell and Gerald

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

Trust me.

[demkicker]

Laying in wait, licking my chops for the next scandal. Just a matter of TIME... tick, tock...

[friendly]

Raines cannot keep the stonewall lid on the stinking corruption and dishonesty infesting the NY Slimes to its marrow.

More revelations will come, week by week. It is out of Raines evil control at this point.

Tick, tick, tick.... until the inevitable sorry and disgraceful end of Raines' career.

[Political Junkie Too]

Pretty soon, the consonants are going to complain that the vowels are getting all the credit, especially the Y which goes both ways and is therefore given special, unfair advantage.

-PJ

[Dante3]

Raines is obviously totally incompetent. As long as Raines and others remain with the NYT, there will be credibility problems.

[xJones]

But that is for later. For now, we just want to thank our staff for being worthy of our confidence and our readers' trust.

The course we are embarked on will take time, teamwork, and patience. We welcome your counsel and promise to report regularly in person and in notes to you.

Howell and Gerald

Howell and Gerald sound like a composite of Hal, the computer in "2001". Soft and smoothing, everything's fine, and please don't unplug the computer.

[mware]

I wish that that misquote regarding Kissinger would come up for discussion again.

I heard him on Hannity and Colmes and he mentioned that when he wrote a letter to refute their news article, they would not allow it as he wrote it. They actually wanted to change part of the letter. Kissinger refused to allow the rewrite so it was not published.

[AppyPappy]

The memo:

To the Staff,

Talk to the moose.

Howell and Gerald

[BlueLancer]

"Talk to the moose..."

Yes?

[Liz]

It was tough, but somehow, I managed to get a copy of The NY Times Journalistic Credo:

1. Capitalism creates oppression but government creates opportunity

2. Traditional gender roles are artificial but feminism and homosexuality are government-protected lifestyles.

3. Self-esteem is paramount; government must undertake to guarantee each citizen-victim self-esteem, no matter what the cost.

4. The ACLU is good, because destroying religion and silencing believers are protected by the Constitution and the First Amendment; The NRA is bad because it defends the Second Amendment to the Constitution;

5. Standardized IQ tests are racist; racial quotas and affirmative action are not.

6. Conservatives are racists; everybody knows that black people can't make it on their own without big-buck government assistance programs, tolerant-compassionate, color-coded knee-jerk liberals, and Big Media to proselytize the message 24/7.