Congrats to most of the NYT writers

On Thursday's lead story on the wacked-out killer: It took 18 credited reporters and writers to produce the 38 paragraphs -- little more than 2 grafs apiece.

What a joke. I love the Times but no wonder some people think it's pompous beyond belief.

 

OK, I don't get this ... Like the NYT, there was a Washington Post story that detailed the day and it had about 15 reporters/writers on it. On a story that big, you think one person is going to be able to get that much detail? Please. I say the more the merrier to get as much detail and information out there.

While you were being sarcastic in saying congrats, I would say congrats with all sincerity. That's a bitch of a story to cover and if it takes 18 people to get it right, I salute them for putting the resources out there to do it.

 

It all goes back to Jayson Blair, Rick Bragg, etc., etc.

Everyone who makes a phone call on a story now at the NY Times gets credited.

 

Well I don't know the story Satchel is pooching on but if it is a narrative story like the Post one, you need lots and lots of reporting and detail.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/18/AR2007041802824.html?hpid=topnews

They should use this in journalism class. This was written less than 48 hours after the iincident.

About the Narrative

This narrative is based on scores of interviews with shooting victims, witnesses and other participants in the events at Virginia Tech on Monday. All thoughts expressed by people in the narrative are taken directly from the interviews.

Reporting from Blacksburg were staff writers Michelle Boorstein, Chris L. Jenkins, Susan Levine, Jerry Markon, Nick Miroff, David Montgomery, Candace Rondeaux, Ian Shapira, Michael D. Shear and Sandhya Somashekhar. Reporting from Washington were staff writers Keith L. Alexander, Sari Horwitz, Carol D. Leonnig, Michael E. Ruane, Katherine Shaver, Jose Antonio Vargas and William Wan. Staff researchers Alice Crites, Meg Smith and Julie Tate also contributed to this narrative.


BTW I don't know Candace Rondeaux but I have read a couple of things by her lately, she'll be a star.

 

This isn't uncommon on a large collaborative piece. Feeds come in for one story, and a writer or rewrite assembles and appends the feeds into one catch-all piece. This isn't new practice or ground, here.
It is much more digestable for the reader than 18, 12-inch stories.

 

Excellent story, especially considering it was published barely 72 hours after the entire incident occurred. Think I'll print that one and save it.

(Oh, and does anyone know how long David Maraniss has been with the WaPo? Has it been a while and I'm just ignorant?)

 

He's been there a long time and won a Pulitzer for writing about Bill Clinton. I believe he has some kind of title, isn't just a writer.

 

If a silly NFL team can have 18 coaches supervising 47-52 players (3 per coach), then I see no problem with 18 reporters working on an important story.

 

He's an Associate Editor. Which, there, is a ubiquitous position. Not quite an editor, not quite a writer. Some would say part-time employee with big-time salary.

 

It didn't take 18 reporters, the N.Y. Times used 18 reporters to cover the hell out of the biggest story of the year so far. Big difference.

And I'll give some more credit to the writers and editors for taking what could have been 150 paragraphs and squeezing all that info into 38.

 

What he said. To sift through all that information and put it in one concise package, that's not easy.