NYT's Anonymous Sourcery: The Deep Background Compliment
The intrepid New York Times watchdogs over at The NYTPicker today highlight a unique moment in the history of anonymous sourcery. It seems that Times Executive Editor Bill Keller sent around a "Talk To The Newsroom" email to staff "announcing the appointment of Hugo Lindgren as the new editor of the NYT Magazine." Strangely, it included this:
"[Lindgren]'s very smart, wildly creative and charismatic," says one editor who has worked closely with him. "People like him and want to do their best work for him. He just has a great magazine head."
I'm not sure what to make of this! Was the anonymously quoted editor so skittish about paying Lindgren a compliment that he/she insisted on doing so on background? Or is Keller just trying to imply that he has access to knowledgeable sources at his own newspaper?
RELATED:
Huh? Executive Editor Bill Keller Quotes Anonymous Source In Announcing New NYT Magazine Editor. [The NYTPicker]
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HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | December 1, 2010