Today in Judy: She's Still Big, It's the Public Editor That Got Small
Judy Miller has been the biggest medialand story of the last several weeks, and it all came to a head last week. It cost the woman her job and the Times yet more of its esteem, it raised questions about erstwhile savior Bill Keller's executive editorship, and it embarrassed the dauphin publisher to the point where there are now whispers about whether his family should try to replace him. Everyone who covers media has been talking about it incessantly — the Observer's Gabriel Sherman, seemingly, has been following Miller from Sag Harbor to Balthazar to wherever she might next alight, like a particularly devoted and unusually inquisitive puppy dog — including dueling Larry King and Charlie Rose hours Thursday night.
And so what did public editor Barney Calame pick to write about this Sunday? Which strand did he pick to thoroughly examine? On which murky corner did he shine his spotlight?
The answer: None!
He just ran some letters instead.
Maybe we misunderstood the job, but isn't the public editor supposed to be more interested in ethics fuckups within the Times than, say, we are?
Other Voices: Judith Miller Responds to the Public Editor [NYT]