Posted by
Sgt Relic on Thursday, October 23, 2008 7:41:04 AM
According to correction published by the NYT, Paul Burnham Finney, characterized as a freelance or occasional writer for the paper, even though his on-line bio just indicates he writes for the Times among other high end publications, made a half-hearted attempt at moving into the fast paced and very competitive “fake story” department of the New York Times. He apparently sought to join the ranks of such luminaries as Jonathan Broder of the Chicago Tribune, Janet Cooke of the Washington Post (1981 Pulitzer Prize winner for her fake story “Jimmy”) and Jayson Blair, the Times most recent heavy hitter.
You may remember Jayson Blair, the fast rising star of the Times affirmative action program, who famously posted stories from places he’d never been, about people he’d never met. Blair, in his short but prolific career, penned some 73 stories about events ranging from the DC snipers to the Iraqi War, which at last count had produced some 36 articles with false comments, events, and fabricated emotionally charged scenes from the war. Blair also was an equally prolific “borrower” (a journalistic term meaning to plagiarize) of other writer's news stories, and by frequently using out of context photos to enhance his work.
Finney, a mere travel writer, used an American Psychological Association survey to reinforce his opinion that the Wall Street crisis was affecting business and banking travelers asserting that "the crisis on Wall Street was the No. 1 cause of anxiety".
His article, quoted here in part, states: [bolded portion is Mr. Finney’s since it never appeared in the survey conclusion]
“In its latest annual “Stress in America” survey, based on 2,507 online interviews in September, the American Psychological Association found that the crisis on Wall Street was the No. 1 cause of anxiety. And participants in the survey said the places where they felt most vulnerable to stress were in the office and on a business trip.”
[The following extract from the Times correction tells a different story]:
“The survey included data from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23, 2008, a period of volatility on Wall Street, but none of the questions in the association’s survey referred to Wall Street or any economic crises. Participants were not asked how business travel affected their stress levels or where they felt most vulnerable to stress.”
“The article also quoted incorrectly from a comment by Nancy Molitor, a psychologist in Wilmette, Ill., who told the author that, “In my 20 years of practice I’ve never seen such anxiety among my patients,” not “among my banking and business patients.”
A stern Editors' Note admits that a Times writer "distorted the survey's findings to fit his theme, contrary to The Times's standards of integrity."
The Times is perfectly correct in it’s stern admonishment of Mr. Finney. This fake story is a far cry from the “gold standard” the public has come to expect in a fabricated story by the New York Times, much less that of the lesser “off the record” newspapers. The venerable “Grey Lady”, the paper of “record”, has come to represent the epitome of “out of context”, plagiarized, and false reporting. This upstart travel writer falls far short of the mark for the quality of fiction that regular readers of the Times expect and deserve.
Mr. Sulzberger, heir to the paper awarded the most Pulitzer Prizes, is surely very disappointed. Joseph Pulitzer, the famed "yellow journalist", must be spinning in his grave at the thought of the paper that has received so many of the awards that bear his name falling short of the mark for distortion that made Columbia University initially refuse his funding for the School of Journalism. This is a dark hour indeed for a paper that has made its reputation by leaking serious intelligence information and attempting to bring down republican Presidents.
This reporter suggests an internship at the National Enquirer where Mr. Finney can hone his skills assisting on stories about 96-year-old grannies giving birth to Aliens or perhaps a stint on the “Brangelina” desk. Mr. Finney is clearly not ready for prime time.