Keller to fire Barney?
By Mark Kilmer Posted in Miscellanea | Spotlight Blogs — Comments (9) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The executive editor of the New York Times, Bill Keller, has informed the New York Observerthat he just might axe Public Editor Byron "Barney" Calame when thee ombudsperson's contract expires in May. He will, he writes, "be taking soundings from the staff, talking it over with the masthead, and consulting with Arthur." The "Arthur" in question is neither the mythic British King nor the drunken character played in 1981 by Dudley Moore. It's O. Sulzberger Jr, the guy who publishes the paper.
Keller declared that his "Talk to the Newsroom" feature has all but eliminated the need for an ombudsperson, but he added that "the creation of a public editor [following Jayson Blair in 2003] has helped the paper immensely in a period when the credibility of the media generally has been under assault." If he honestly believes that, he needs to do two things: examine the current criticism of his paper and take a hard look at his circ numbers. If, however, he's offing Calame for occasional criticism, with a healthy dose of praise, he enjoys his dreamworld and isn't about to let anyone inside.
And this shows you why you'll never get complete honesty and accuracy from an ombudsperson. His (or her) job should be to shred the guy who signs his paycheck. Nay, the "voice of the public" is right here on the wire, baby.
especially troublesome since it's coming from within the walls of the NYT empire. Even though the NYT is exposed almost weekly for fake news in the blog world, many, if not most of the NYT cool aide drinkers aren't reading blogs such as this one. The empire cannot tolerate being exposed on the sheets of its own paper - what if some of their readers begin to question sir pinch and company.. Watch them 'declare victory' and eliminate the position.
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"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm." -- James Madison
on the phony abortion story from El Salvador did him in.
the NYT don't need no stinkin' truth! they have appointed themselves our judges.
"...a period when the credibility of the media generally has been under assault".
As if that period had now passed, and the public had gone back on their medications.
Too bad you can't fire the Web, Mr. Keller.
Da, comrade!
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
The once and future King WILL return.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
I for one feel that he could get a much better read were he to somehow able to divine a reading on Barney from the besotted Arthur of movie fame. If not, he could go halfsies and hire as Barney's replacement Doogie Howser's character Barney from How I Met Your Mother.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
Keller isn't actually "firing" Calame. Barney will be at the Times until his current contract is up. The question is whether he will be renewed or replaced.
Keep in mind that Barney is the second Ombudsman at the NYT. The first, whose name escapes me, was there for a year and left voluntarily at the end of his contract. His last column, which I will try to find, was a joy to read. He eviscerated (for the NYT, anyway) both Krugman and MoDo and admitted the job was impossible.
In the interest of fairness and correct reporting, we need to make sure our criticisms of the Paper of Some Record are factually correct.
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If "pro" is the opposite of "con", what is the opposite of "progress"...
No editor does. Especially the editor of the New York Times. The last straw was probably Calame's outing of Keller's actions surrounding the wiretap story.
"Leave the gun. Take the canoles....."
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it"-Winston Churchill