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| Lighten Up, Francis! |
| Fundraising posts only happen quarterly, and are gone as soon as we meet the goal. Help make it happen. |
Posted on 07/12/2003 1:20:48 AM PDT by sarcasm
Howell Raines said the publisher made him do it.
Raines said he wouldn't have resigned as executive editor of The New York Times five weeks ago, but publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. told him it was time to go.
Raines' account on Charlie Rose's PBS-TV show last night contradicted Sulzberger's initial statement that Raines and managing editor Gerald Boyd "concluded that it was best for The Times that they step down. With great sadness, I agreed with their decision."
As Raines recalled the exchange, Sulzberger said to him, "I don't think we can calm this place down. ... I'm asking you to step aside."
It was Raines' first interview since he and Boyd departed amid major staff unrest after reporter Jayson Blair was exposed as a plagiarist and serial inventor of supposed facts. Blair was forced to resign May 1.
Raines said the Blair scandal amounted to stepping on "a land mine," but he was unaware of the reporter's record of errors and unprofessional behavior until he was accused of plagiarism.
Raines' comments illustrated the fractured communications within The Times over Blair, who ended up covering national stories even though editors raised concerns about his work.
Raines also told Rose that, during his 21-month tenure, he tried to change the culture of the newsroom too quickly and faced a war with those who wanted to maintain the status quo.
Raines added that he has turned down job offers from other newspapers and hopes to write a book about journalism.
His former colleagues were stunned to learn he would do the interview. Some of them speculated that he wanted to have his say before his successor is named by Sulzberger, possibly next week.
It's widely assumed that Sulzberger will appoint former managing editor Bill Keller, who lost out to Raines in 2001 and has since been writing an op-ed column and Sunday Magazine articles for the paper.
Sulzberger's spokeswoman could not be reached late yesterday after details of Raines' interview were disclosed.
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| Lighten Up, Francis! |
| Fundraising posts only happen quarterly, and are gone as soon as we meet the goal. Help make it happen. |
I'm trying to imagine how he could possibly have pulled the Old Gray Drag Queen even further left than it already is.
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 Schadenfreude  |
Perfect title for Raines' book in that it is the paradigm liberal ploy: (1) it confers profit-making "victimization" status on Raines -- and (2) conveniently absolves Raines for any responsibility for the Jayson Blair debacle.
"Hey, did I tell you I once met Howell Raines? You can quote me on that, That's Greg Packer, P-a-c-k-e-r, Packer, that's right, Greg, rhymes with leg, like leg-o-lamb, man I'm hungry."
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Lemme get this straight. So the story that he resigned to spend more time with his family was a crock? I'm gobsmacked.