#4334: Something rotten.. Kozyn responds (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: John Kozyn <jckozyn@hotmail.com>

From: Lisa Reed <74227.3043@compuserve.com>

>But the
>fact that the writer was carrying an "Epirb," a device that sends out a
>distress signal that will summon the coast guard, left me feeling queasy
>about that kind of journalism.

This isn't the worst thing about this article.

--> snip <--

>The moment the journalist got on board with such a high-tech device as the
>Epirb, he ceased to be a reporter of the story and became in a way the
>creator of the story. He could alert the coast guard at any time--for noble
>reasons like saving everyone's life, or less noble reasons like feeling
>nauseated, feeling scared, exhausted, etc. Which made it kind of fake. Not
>fake of course to the other passengers who were risking everything to get
>to the US--and that's why it was heartbreaking, because they had no idea
>that with the push of a button he could crush their dreams.

You're right Lisa. Michael Finkel offer the NYT's readership one of the most 
obnoxious examples of a journalist thinking he's above it all. This is one 
of the most existentially inauthentic pieces of nonsense I've come across.

--> snip <--

>So on one hand I applaud the author and the Times for
>running it. I applaud the courage and fortitude of everyone on the boat. On
>the hand that's not clapping though, I think the writer should have been
>more straightforward about a hugely important piece of the story, which is
>whether or not he sent out that signal.

I only read this article once. I don't think he set it off though. It seems 
the CG returned because of suspicion about copious amounts of water on board 
- IIRC. He could be BS'ing though.

>I'm curious to know what other people think.

I'll bet Finkel and his photog did a lot of butt-kissing once the CG arrived 
though, all the while pretending they played no role in facilitating the 
building and crashing of David's hopes to get to the U.S.

I wonder if they said goodbye to him or other people whose names they got to 
know on the journey. I wonder if they ever felt guilty for being so 
inauthentic? I also wonder if the CG got a heads-up from the NYT's editors - 
worried about his safety in this "rickety" boat.

I think the NYT's magazine editors need to wake up. The story is not the 
most important thing. Human beings are. When journalists - and their role - 
become the news (as they did when this story first broke last month) 
something is definitely wrong.

John Kozyn

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