Posted on 04/11/2005 8:00:57 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Albom Column Suspended While 'Freep' Investigates
By Dave Astor
Published: April 11, 2005 2:15 PM ET
NEW YORK Mitch Albom's work will not appear in the Detroit Free Press while the newspaper investigates his past-tense column about something that hadn't happened yet.
John X. Miller, the Free Press' public editor, told E&P today that not publishing the work of an under-investigation staffer is standard practice at the paper. "His salary will continue to be paid," he added, noting that this is also standard practice at the paper in these situations.
Miller said the investigation -- being conducted by a Free Press editor and four reporters -- will not only look at Albom's April 3 column but also Albom's previous work to see if similar mistakes were made. And the team will review the editing process that allowed the April 3 column to get into print. No editors have been suspended at this point, added Miller.
Albom, in a column he submitted April 1 for April 3 publication, wrote about something he thought would happen on April 2. Albom had interviewed two NBA players about their plans to get together at the April 2 NCAA basketball game between Michigan State and North Carolina. Then he wrote in the past tense about their experience at the game. But scheduling conflicts caused the two players to miss the game.
Miller said the 11-member Free Press ethics committee is separately looking into the whole issue of having to report things in advance.
Since news of the mistake became public last week, Miller said he has received "hundreds" of reader e-mails -- with sentiment ranging from "fire Albom" to "give a great writer a break because it's just one mistake and he apologized for it." Miller isn't sure what the percentage of anti-Albom sentiment is vs. the percentage of pro-Albom feelings in the hundreds of e-mails.
Miller said some fans of Albom -- the best-selling author of "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" -- are angry the paper is investigating the columnist and have threatened to cancel their subscriptions if he's fired. The public editor has been explaining to these readers that the Free Press also holds Albom in high regard but that his error was serious and needs to be investigated. "The basic principle of journalism is to tell the truth," said Miller, who noted that a number of Albom's supporters have become "more understanding" when he makes this point.
The Free Press has also received "dozens" of letters to the editor, reported Miller, and has been publishing many of them. An excerpt from a pro-Albom letter: "I urge you to accept Mitch's apology and leave it at that. A simple mistake must not be allowed to stain the brilliant record he has." Part of an anti-Albom letter: "It seems that Mitch Albom has lost his ability to discern the difference between fiction and reality. He no longer belongs in a newspaper."
Albom could not be reached for comment.
Also, an executive at Tribune Media Services could not be reached immediately to say whether or not Albom will continue to write his column for the syndicate during the time his work is not allowed in the Free Press.
Dave Robinson, a Free Press deputy managing editor, told E&P Friday that the newspaper's investigation "will be done quickly but thoroughly. It won't be finished in a day or two, but it won't be months, either."
(No, that's not a grammatical mistake.)
Mitch's views are mostly wrong. His radio show is unbearable. Usually I refer to him as "Mitch the b!tch." When Rush is over on WJR and I accidentally leave it on I usually say "Ugh, it's Mitch the b!tch" as I put in a CD.
This guy's supposed to be the ombudsman, and we're supposed to believe he "doesn't know" what the majority sentiment is among the people who bothered to write? Anyone want to buy some prime vacation land in South Florida?
Of course, since Albom is a leftist, this just means that the public is overwhelmingly in favor of giving him the boot. If he were a conservative columnist, he'd have already been pink-slipped.
Since when? Not in your MSM these days.
What crap.
He LIED.
In a NEWSPAPER.
He invented "truth" and should not be above ethical standards just because some Dr. Phil-loving simps like his sappy grue.
"...unless the story's about a Republican, a conservative, or Israel of course," he clarified.
Inventing a meeting that didn't happen is a grammar problem?
It is for my grammar. She's dead.
I bet you invented that.
GOOD one!
he wrote about something he THOUGHT was going to happen as if it had happened - but a snafu kept it from happening - oops. (I just confused myself)
But I know what my editor would do should I do that - it's lazy writing...
(Oh, by the way , did you mean "grammar?") LOL, getting late
I thought it was fascinating that you couldn't link directly to the articles in question at E&P. Says something about their "coverage"...
Albom should be fired.
This is cover for the paper. Of course his editor had to know he was being force to write about something that had not yet happened when he had a 1st deadline for an article to be published on the 3rd when the big event was on the 2nd.
His editor had to know he would have to make up his article. Then his editor "editted," ie read, his column and had to know it was written before the fact. Now maybe a better more honorable reporter or columnist would have refused to do this, but as bad and shallow as Albom and his politics are, this lies at the feet of the paper and its editors not him.
The little fellow has a radio show and routinely makes things up on it as well.
So, all that gun carnage just hasn't happened yet, apparently.
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