Big news from the NYT's Nick Kristof

I dislike that Jon Wertheim uses "L." before his name half the time. Consistency is all I ask.

 

I write with my middle initial, but it's in honor of a grandfather -- who shared the same first name as my middle initial. He was a longtime pressman and carrier, so I like to tell people I have ink in my veins.

 

And they know to expect that level of pretension because you use your middle initial in your byline. So it all works out.

 

In college it was always the guy everyone called "Booger" or "Willie" whose byline was Wellington Q. Holland III.

 

I didn't even use my full first name in bylines. Let alone my middle initial.

 

David Brinkley told a story in his book about his early days in newspapers. The publisher had gotten himself arrested on a DUI or something like that, and was worried about the scandal it would cause when it hit his paper, or the bigger scandal it would be if he had kept it out.

Everyone knew him by his first name, middle initial and last name. So he had his name changed in his paper's daily blotter to where his first name was the initial, used his full middle name, and his last name (which was a pretty common name). Nobody kicked up a fuss.

 

Actually, I put a little thought into this when I started my journalism career. I just decided to go with the more casual version of my first name and no middle initial, because, one, I didn't want to seem like I'm putting on airs, and, two, being in sports, I just thought that version of the name would connect better with the readership. I know, like that was important (eye roll), but I've kept that version of the name for my byline ever since.

Now, if I was a general news reporter or an opinion columnist, I might have gone the full formal name with initial.

 

I always loved it when Buster Olney's byline was in the Times.

 

What he should REALLY do is go by N. Donabet Kristof. That'll bring in the masses.

 

I don't really see the point... but I guess there are still readers who care about bylines. Addressing it in his blog may avoid any reader comments later.

Several female friends had to deal with what name to use in their bylines when they got married. Some changed, some didn't. I don't recall anyone declaring the reasoning for the change.

My college paper didn't permit middle names unless that's what you were called. Even though all my (limited) previous publications had included my middle name, I had to eliminate it from my byline. I still used it for other outlets, like the literary magazine -- and all my academic work.

I could have added the middle name back into my byline when I got my first real job, but the only sports reporter who used his middle name was incredibly pretentious. It's still gone.

 

Geez, I just used my name. You know, what people call me when they're talking to me.

 

That's why they always though you were joking.