The New York Times: Not Just For Young Trendies Anymore!

The New York Times has again published the heart-wrenching tale of a five year old boy forced against his will to use the phrase "why, oh why?" in 21st Century New York City.

Admittedly, the report came in an error-riddled "Editor's Note" published in today's paper. The unnamed editor defensively noted:

A report in the Metropolitan Diary column on Monday related a conversation that a contributor, Andrea Silenzi, said she had had with a neighbor on the Upper East Side. The neighbor's 5-year-old son had overheard his father, a stock trader, on the phone with a client, and had said to his mother, "I know Daddy sells things at his job, but why oh why did he say he would sell my shorts?"

An editor called Ms. Silenzi to verify the authenticity of that anecdote. a step in the editing process that all submissions undergo before being published. Ms. Silenzi said the incident had indeed happened as she described it.

After a Web log for a Jersey City radio station reported that the anecdote was part of a prank, The Times learned that Ms. Silenzi runs that blog, and that she had invited readers to fabricate an entry for the column. When questioned again, she admitted that she had lied to the editor.

Alas, the editor's note got a few things wrong. Andrea Silenzi does not in fact run this blog, she has nothing to do with WFMU's Beware of the Blog. Second, Andrea never invited readers on her own blog to fabricate entries for the column. (Andrea's Seven Second Delay blog is here.)

But all this pales when listening to Michael Pollak interviewed on Seven Second Delay last Wednesday night: download MP3. Mr. Pollak stated that Andrea felt she had struck "some great blow for coolness."  He testily informed Andy and I (aged 50 and 48 respectively) that the New York Times is a "smorgasbord" which does not publish exclusively for "young trendies." He lauded the Web 2.0 nature of The Metropolitan Diary, a column with an audience of elderly people "who look on it as a kind of one bright spot in a week of otherwise gloomy news." He referenced the immense popularity of the column, a claim which is now at odds with Gawker's report that the Met Diary may now go the way of Jayson Blair and Judith Miller. When Andy and I played Mr. Pollak a recording of an actual five-year-old boy speaking the infamous phrase highlighted above, he implied that we had searched for the exact phrase we needed on the internet (singular), a claim reminiscent of his description of Andrea as "arrogant "because she had an extraordinarily high google hit count of four when he checked.

At least he didn't repeat his earlier vindictive reference to Andrea's application for a Fulbright scholarship.

More on this sordid tale here, here, here, here and here.

Comments

[Listener Mike D.]

Bronwyn C. had the Times (or as she likes to call it, "The Big Gray Pack O'Lies" pegged correctly for years. What a bunch of humorless, self-important sticks in the mud...

[jtm]

Sounds like a correction to today's correction is due. Anything less is shoddy journalism.

[jim]

I don't understand any part of this story, least of all why someone has a separate blog devoted to 7SD. At least someone's life is sadder than my own.

[Barry Scheck]

If Ms. Silenzi did not invite her readers to fabricate entries, and the New York Times printed an assertion that she did so, then a strong case can be made that the New York Times has engaged in libelous behavior.

I'd be happy to take the case on pro-bono if you have not already retained counsel in the matter.

Ms. Silenzi, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Yours,

B. Scheck

[Tim K.]

I love the fact that [somehow] the Metro Diary is serious journalism in that they have to fact-check the friggin' entries. It's like Highlights magazine fact-checking knock-knock jokes. Hee-larious. I can only imagine the gall of the blue-haired readers when they find out they've been had. It will probably feel the same way as when I learned that Milli Vanilli lip-synched, and that just hurt.

[JMet]

Ha! this is kinda the best thing ever. Take that print journalism!
P.S. here's a great Overheard at My College (Guilford, NC)
Girl walking out of cafeteria: And that's why we call him bitch tits.

[Bill W]

If the "scandal" ends up killing Met Diary, there should be a special 7SD marathon shirt commemmorating this blow for decency! The lonely elderly folk can more profitably get on the bus to Atlantic City or go to singles mixers.

[Mitch Ratcliff]

Well done. If I can make a request, can WFMU try to get Thomas Friedman fired next?

[TheWaverly]

I have to admit I don't get the joke.

[Doug Holm]

I don't get the joke either. Would one of the parties responsible please explain?

[Dr. Nick]

Read the FAQ, everybody!

[robin.g]

Hi, it's Robin, author of the anecdote. Andy's idea about the "sell my shorts" thing has to do with stockbrokers "selling short." Also, this little goofball joke was never meant to diss old people or get the Diary section shut down. If Mr. Pollak decides to ditch the section it's his own decision and this is just an excuse for him to do so. As in, "It would have survived if not for those meddling kids!" ::shakes fist::

Also, get offa my lawn.

rg

[yragentman]

Most excellent Ken. You are off to a fantastic start of 2007. Your 1 minute mix and now Sigh o' the Times spoof. You old trendie you. Keep it coming. I can't wait for March!

[yragentman]

for those who "don't get the joke",

http://www.nytco.com/career.html

[lee]

i am deeply shocked and saddened that anything in the Times could be false.
my Mom buys nytimes for the Met. diary, she said. i didn't relate or understand when told, but, i guess her generation used to go and pay to see color moving pictures once a week or so, as a treat. a big deal to them . they like to be transported - lifted from their lives into the hollywoody dream state. they're not as objective, MAYBE, as us BOTB readers, probly by choice. but i bet they don't look for truthiness in the M.D., but rather that transportation effect. " a kind of one bright spot in a week of otherwise gloomy news." '' is kinda how my Mom put it. so it seems to be true. i prefer BOTB.
thanks Andrea! love it. W.S. Burroughs would be proud. ''cut it up and spit it back'' :a simple form of powerful magic.

[Dale Hazelton]

"Jeeves, be a good man and run out to pick up the Times, I couldn't possibly BEAR to miss out on the 'Diary' today, what with all the hunger and poverty in the world, and the market only up 80 points today." I loved hearing the jack-booted editor from the Times on SSD squirm in his own inflexible arrogance. The Diary is obviously fabricated by someone with a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style sitting on the desk. People just don't write like that without trying. Still, you and Andy better learn your places, and know that propriety will win out over your silliness. Andy should be ashamed every time he cashes his comedy writing paychecks...

[kooper]

Andrea Silenzi is her real name? Twentyone? You guys owe her big time. This kind of fun went too far. No one comes out clean in all this.

[robin.g]

I don't think anything horrible will come of this, especially since Mr. Pollak was looking for an excuse to eliminate the Diary. His prayers have come true in the form of four Trendsters, three of whom are over 40. And the 21-year old takes the brunt. Sorry, Andrea! You could have used my name, I'm old with nothing to lose. Now fetch me my teeth, there's a bowl of ribbon candy with my name on it!

rg

[David]

If I still lived in the US I'd cancel my sub to the NYT over this crap. I get the IHT here in Japan and even though it's not directly the NYT, I'm still considering canceling my sub no matter how much I like the Asahi Shimbun.

[PamH]

I work at the Times, and there have been quite a few arguments going on in the newsroom over this incident. I've actually lost a friend over a few discussions on the incident. It should come as no surprise that people really get bent out of shape over here when they think someone from the OUTSIDE is making them look bad. I'd be very interested to hear Ken's brother's take on the scenario.