Ethics prof questions why NYT fired Stein from biz column
Washington & Lee ethics professor Ed Wasserman doubts that Ben Stein, who had written a Sunday business column for the New York Times, was actually fired for violating the paper’s code of ethics, as it stated. Wasserman writes, “I’m not convinced. I pulled down four of Stein’s recent Times columns and was hard-pressed to find […]
NYT ombudsman critical of tech reporter's sources
New York Times ombudsman Clark Hoyt weighs in on technology reporter Brad Stone‘s story from last week about how some people check e-mail before doing anything else in the morning and is critical of the sources used. Hoyt writes, “Stone told me he sent messages to ‘people I thought of as connectors’ and through them found 10 […]
Trump appeals judge's ruling dropping libel case against NYT reporter
Barbara Boyer of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports Thursday that well-known real estate developer Donald Trump plans to appeal a judge’s ruling that dropped his libel lawsuit against New York Times business journalist Timothy O’Brien, who wrote in a book that Trump was worth much less than the billions he claimed. Boyer writes, “William Tambussi, one […]
When to report a bank is in trouble
Washington Post ombudsman Andy Alexander reports on how the newspaper decided to mention that federal regulators considered closing a Pennsylvania bank after it was accidentally disclosed in an Office of Thrift Supervision release. Alexander writes, “Here’s how it unfolded: The e-mail sent to reporters on July 31 announced the closing of Peoples Community, an Ohio […]
NYT tech writer's story sourced from friends, acquaintances
The NYTPicker site has a great dissection of a story by New York Times tech writer Brad Stone where every quoted source was a friend of the reporter or someone linked to the paper. NYTPicker writes, “We don’t yet know to what extent Stone made his editors aware, if at all, of the various personal […]
Business paper editor/publisher gets involved in politics
Pat Muir of the Yakima Herald-Republic profiles Bruce Smith, editor and publisher of the twice-monthly Yakima Valley Business Times, whose involvement in Washington state politics has raised eyebrows. Muir writes, “Critics say he’s a kingmaker, a guy who can influence local policy like an elected official without worrying he’ll be voted out. Former Yakima City Councilman […]
WSJ embargo policy changes
Rafat Ali of PaidContent.org writes Wednesday about changes to The Wall Street Journal‘s embargo policy where the paper will no longer participate in group media embargoes. Ali writes, “After speaking to various PR people who pitch stories to WSJ, it seems there are some exceptions to the new no-embargoes policy if the story is big […]
TechCrunch founder defaults on libel case in England
Dennis Howlett of ZDNet reports that the British courts have ruled against TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington in a libel case because he did not show up to defend himself. Howlett writes, “In other words, both Arrington/Interserve attempted to move the case from Sethi’s home ground to another jurisdiction. The UK courts thought differently. “It is […]
Economist settles libel case with Russian businessman
Luke Harding of The Guardian in London reports that the Economist has reached an out-of-court settlement with a Russian businessman who had alleged he was libeled by the magazine. Harding writes, “The article, part of a Russia series, also mentioned Timchenko’s alleged links with Putin. Timchenko is a highly reclusive billionaire oil trader who lives […]
PR and news under one Dow Jones roof
I discovered today that in addition to owning The Wall Street Journal, Marketwatch.com, Barron’s and Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones & Co. also has a public relations consulting business. The business is called Dow Jones PR & Corporate Communications Solutions, and it provides analysis of media and social networks for organizations that want to know […]
