Oops

A couple of times when I was editor of Voices, we'd get an unassigned piece from one of our writers about an organization he was affiliated with. In each case we caught the PR piece posing as journalism before it was published. Nice to know that the Maroon's editing standards are, at least in some ways, superior to that of the New York Times:

A question-and-answer interview on March 2 in Arts & Leisure with the director and a cast member of the Classic Stage Company's production of "The Seagull" was conducted by Rosemarie Tichler, a freelance writer who is on the board of directors of Classic Stage. She disclosed this fact in a note to the assigning editor, but it was overlooked in the editing process. Had The Times noticed her affiliation, it would have sought another interviewer for the article.

The fine folks at Media Bistro break down all the steps that were necessary for this slip to occur:

1. A stringer pitched an article on a theatre SHE WAS INVOLVED WITH to the New York Times.

2. Said stringer voluntarily disclosed her affiliation to the New York Times.

3. Her editor did not notice.

4. Her editor did not notice that the first link when you Google her name goes straight to a Tisch bio that plainly states she "is on the board of directors of the Classic Stage Company and is a Tony Nominator."

5. The New York Times published the article nonetheless.

That certainly stings for the Time's art desk, but I understand how these things can get overlooked. Still, though, ouch.