 |
 Schadenfreude  |
This is the New York Times Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.
Posted on 05/31/2003 1:10:04 AM PDT by kattracks
There is no end to the soul-searching at The New York Times. Or the committees.The Times, already distracted by a month of scandals and newsroom unrest, was bracing for more of both as two ranking editors formed a second group to improve inhouse communications.
Assistant Managing Editors Craig Whitney and Andrew Rosenthal invited staffers to join what they're calling the Communications Working Group.
They said it would differ from a powerful committee headed by Assistant Managing Editor Allan Siegal by "concentrating on internal communications" and having no outside consultants.
Many at The Times viewed formation of the new group as a sign of division among top editors over how the Siegal committee, set up by beleaguered Executive Editor Howell Raines, is pursuing its broad mandate.
However, Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis said the new group "was convened by the masthead, including Howell Raines."
The Whitney-Rosenthal group will be "looking ahead broadly rather than back at what has gone wrong in the past," the two founders added, in what read like a swipe at the Siegal panel's review of ex-reporter Jayson Blair's fabrications.
Growing weariness
The new panel was born as the Siegal committee wrestled with the concerns of Nancy Sharkey, a veteran editor in staff development, who told Siegal Thursday that she was resigning from the group because its review of the Blair scandal had become prosecutorial.
Starkey's forceful stance posed yet another problem for The Times hierarchy. She was praised by some colleagues amid growing weariness of all the post-Blair introspection and fear that it has sapped the news-gathering process.
Mathis said Sharkey's resignation from the Siegal panel was not accepted yesterday "by a consensus of the members."
A subcommittee of the 23-member Siegal group called for suggestions on hiring and recruiting, including how "to decide who is hired permanently from our apprenticeship programs."
Blair was promoted to The Times staff after working as an apprentice reporter.
In a memo that found its way to Jim Romenesko's media Web site, at Poynter.org, veteran political reporter Adam Clymer urged his Times colleagues to move on.
"The Times that we are honored to work for will be damaged if we continue to fight with each other in public," the memo said. "And that's more important than our own grievously, justifiably injured pride."
Originally published on May 31, 2003
Sounds like teen bickering.
Form a Committee or a Working Group just like their juvenile "teach-ins" they had in their youth and then have everyone "tell us how you feel.
|
Schadenfreude |
Huh?
"Gosh, Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
This statement has been nominated for the FR award "Liberal Understatement of The Year."
I love the mental picture of the Timesmen cannibalizing each other ala Donner.
"Got enough ketchup, Pinch?"
That way they can have this on hand as they devour each other.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.