David Hare takes on the NY Times

[Smaxie]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 11:23am

David Hare, author of The Vertical Hour and director of next week's The Year of Magical Thinking, reportedly got into a screaming match with NY Times managing editor Jill Abramson over the paper's cultural coverage, at a screening of a new Richard Gere movie. Story is in the New York Post. The argument was over Abramson's claims that The New York Times "is the central arbiter of taste and culture in the city of New York."

The Times certainly offers the most in depth coverage of the arts in New York, but one wonders if they are still indeed the "central arbiter" anymore. Magical Thinking producer Scott Rudin is later quoted in the story as saying, "While the editorial staff of the Times may think they are the arbiters of all things cultural in New York, in fact, it is the audience that is the judge." With the easy access and increased importance of internet chat sites and blogs in all fields of entertainment, where everyone with a modem is a critic, and with print advertising way down, one wonders, could the Times be running scared?

In any case, click on the link. It is always interesting when David Hare takes on the New York Times, since he has a history of it.
Times Tantrum - New York Post

Updated On: 3/24/07 at 11:23 AM