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NYT's Ethicist Rips Off Colleague's Column

Cohen nabs a previously-published question from another columnist

By Drew Nelles,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 2, 2008 3:53 PM CST
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(Newser) – Is it right for an ethics columnist to steal a reader’s question from a colleague? It apparently is for the New York Times’ Randy Cohen, writes Alex Carnevale in Gawker. Today’s Ethicist column includes a question printed in another column last month. “The paper now has more advice columnists than questions for them to answer,” Carnevale writes.

The questioner asks whether it is ethical for a man to lie about why he stood her up—hit by a bike, he claimed—but the real question is why the Times let ex-David Letterman scribe Cohen rip off the query. “If they exercised good editorial judgment, we wouldn't have to listen to a comedy writer crib questions from other columnists because he couldn't make up his own,” Carnevale writes.

In this July 22, 2008 file photo, traffic passes in front of The New York Times building in New York.
In this July 22, 2008 file photo, traffic passes in front of The New York Times building in New York.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)
The New York Times's Randy Cohen has landed in trouble before, when he accidentally revealed the identity of an anonymous reader.
The New York Times's Randy Cohen has landed in trouble before, when he accidentally revealed the identity of an anonymous reader.   (©Joe Shlabotnik)
Credit the New York Times for never knowing when a column has run its course, Gawker writes.
"Credit the New York Times for never knowing when a column has run its course," Gawker writes.   (Flickr)
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COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
Guest
Nov 2, 2008 9:26 PM CST
Sorry, but I feel like the premise of the entire article is a little off. I'm not familiar with Gawker, but I don't really see the big deal. How can you steal a reader question from someone else? Sure, if you copy their response, I would agree that this unethical. However, if you legitimately feel that you have new and valid input on the matter, shouldn't you be allowed to address it? I guess the fact that Randy Cohen acted as if the question was sent to him takes importance away from the other journalist, but I'm sure the reader who sent in the question would appreciate some more input on the matter, as the journalist who originally responded is not necessarily the be-all, end-all on the matter. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the question being posed is in itself independent from the original article that was written responding to the question, at least in theory. If I reference a Nietzsche quote and expound on what he might of meant, it would not be unethical for someone else to address the quote with their own interpretation, nor would they need to cite my article, regardless of whether or not they got the idea to talk about the quote from me, as long as they felt what they were saying was new and different from my original response.

The Ethicist's cribbed question
New York Times

The original Galanes column
New York Times

This isn't Cohen's first time in hot water
Gawker

Lifestyle • Celebrity • Media • US

 
New York Times • media criticism • Gawker • journalistic ethics

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