Tattletale Journalism

NYT reverses its memo from a few days ago.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/11/nyt-standard-racist-language-donald-mcneil/

New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet on Thursday rolled back a controversial standard regarding the use of racial epithets at the newspaper. In a staff meeting, Baquet retracted the guidance that the paper does not “tolerate racist language regardless of intent.” He explained that the memo with the standard was written on “deadline” and that critics “rightly saw this as a threat to our journalism,” said sources present at the meeting.

 

.

Yep - this is the point right here. Set aside the question of whether McNeil deserved to be fired. At some point, somebody in a position of power is going to need to sack up and tell these people that even if their "pain" isn't complete fucking play-acting bullshit, they're gonna have to suck it up and realize that 90 percent of society is more resilient than they are. Furthermore, within that 90 percent are a whole hell of a lot of people who have experienced actual pain, and the most offensive part of this whole fiasco is the attempt to equate that kind of real, traumatic pain with whatever theoretical pain these 150 journalists think they are going through. The Times newsroom is 1,200 journalists strong. If Baquet isn't going to do it, the other 1,000 who aren't claiming to be in pain need to step up and say enough is enough and realize that doing so does not make them a bigot or a bad liberal or unsympathetic to the overall cause. These activist types are the real awful people.

 

I find it odd it's not more of a story. Would have been a day when these developments were seen as bizarre and punitive, when a union would have battled for an employee rather than against the employee. These do not seem to be those days.

But, maybe McNeil got what he deserved. Certainly there are people at the NYT who think so.

 

Good unions/guilds don't tend to especially see themselves out of an issue with a union member's termination. Used to be there was a person who was in the whatever with management, individual union members didn't sign letters undercutting their union brother/sister's standing with the company.

But I concede unions have generally changed and may be specifically different here. Talent unions are tougher in that way. Of course, in addition, there should be no dogmatic way for a union to operate.

At any rate, I'm surprised it's not a bigger topic here or in news at large. The reporter in the Clubhouse thing, who inaccurately tweeted that a person said a slur, is already back on the job. The union functioned OK, in that case, I guess.

 

He received a financial settlement for resignation.

I quit.

OK, here's a wad of money for the work you're refusing to do by quitting.

It is what is. But I note I've used the "resigned, didn't get fired" line myself, so I understand its use.

 

It’s a negotiated settlement. Of course the union was involved.

 

Thanks for clarifying that.

what do you think of all this?

 

LOL. Wow. Imagine communicating with whom you perceive to be "close friends" and The Daily Beast STILL getting copies of your correspondences.

The best thing he should've done was just leave quietly and wait for this to blow over.