'Times' To Disclaim Deborah Solomon's Q&As
Guess what professional interrogator Deborah Solomon happened to mention when she stopped by a Columbia j-school class last week! Her New York Times mag Q&As, which caught the eye—and the cover—of the New York Press earlier this month for her standards and practices. Well, turns out the column is going to have a itty-bitty disclaimer printed before it each and every time it runs.
Clark Hoyt totally wins! The paper's ombudsman, addressing the controversy spurred two weeks ago by Solomon's technique of mixing and matching questions and answers post-interview, suggested Times editors "should publish with each column a brief description of the editing standards: the order of questions may be changed, information may be added for clarity, and the transcript has been boiled down without indicating where material has been removed. If such a disclaimer destroys the illusion, maybe 'Questions For' needs to be rethought."
Best reader disclaimer submission wins ten questions with Deborah Solomon. Worst wins twenty.
Remember: there's no protocol here; feel free to mix the pieces of this disclaimer around, which is what we do. Editing is an underrated art.
Disclaimer for New York Times 'Questions For' Column [Susan Campriello]
Earlier: Christopher Knight To Deborah Solomon: "Get Away From Me!"