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June 11, 2009
Just Wanting To Be Clear...
Sharon Waxman claims she is a serious journalist.
Sharon Waxman gleefully posts a private document made up primarily of private salaries, with no context or significance, other than creating a key to the initials on the hand-written document.
Sharon's Waxman's effort to explain the document comes down to, "I look forward to the knowledgeable commenters on this document, who will help explain it."
I actually think Sharon is a serious person. But she continues to prove that she is one of the most reckless and irresponsible psuedo-journalists in the game. She got away with a lot of terrible work at the NYT, but even then, she would never be allowed to throw private documents into the paper and wait to see what others made of them.
If she thinks that publishing people's salaries out of context is of value, I challenge her to post a list of who is getting paid what at The Wrap. Perhaps she wants to let people know what she was being paid at NYT... make sure to include those benefits. Or maybe we all should be able to read her funding deal online... and we'll see what all those smart commenters have to say about it.
I don't have a problem with a document like this being used to inspire a complex story. That would mean that a serious reporter was working to find a meaningful context that overwhelmed the privacy issues involved. But to post it on a whim... after all, who uses faxes anymore? Cue Pogo.
Posted by dpoland at June 11, 2009 03:25 PM
Comments
The most heinous aspect of this is the 'why'.
You know, one of the fundamental questions that journalists are supposed to ask when writing a story. The 'why' here is directed to the writer.
Why?
I can remember back when they first started reporting actor salaries. Remember when that sort of thing was speculation? I understand the curiosity about the workings of the industry for the average movie fan. However, for someone doing insider industry coverage, what's the point?
What good comes of knowing who makes how much? Is it news? No. We all know people get paid for their work. The 'how much' can only be used in a negative context. People don't bring up salary in polite company. The only reason this piece exists is for her to show people she got her hands on something meant to be kept on the DL.
It's not about delivering news. It's about desperation to remain relevant in an ever changing industry.
And that's sad. Pathetic even.
Posted by: anghus ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 12, 2009 04:19 AM
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