Yesterday, "Kennedy's Rough Waters and Still Harbors" appeared in the New York Times. Written by Michiko Kakutani, it's a review of "True Compass; A Memoir" by the late Senator Edward Kennedy.
The NYT is well known for their book reviews, so you may wonder what the problem is with this one. The problem is that it wasn't to be published until September 14. By publishing it early, the NYT essentially broke their promise to wait until the 14th. They "broke the embargo."
Members of the media often receive embargoed information from various sources -- press releases, books to be reviewed, and more. This is done as a courtesy to the media, to allow more time to cover the embargoed material well and thoroughly without having to rush to meet a deadline. Using this NYT review as an example, the review should have been written, photos added, edited, and appropriate space reserved for it to appear on September 14.
Many other news outlets had this book for reviews and articles to be released on the 14th, but the NYT beat them to the punch by more than a week. Some may say that it's a competitive business, and the NYT is only doing what they need to do to compete. I simply can't agree with that.
I often receive embargoed content and advance copies of books for review. If I were to break an embargo and publish early, I'd "lose my credentials" with that source. In other words, I'd be removed from their media list, and I'd never be given material in advance again.
My guess would be that those in charge at the NYT aren't concerned about that. After all, they're THE New York Times. In a way, that's part of my point. They ARE THE New York Times, and as a supposed leader in the industry, they should be upholding journalistic ethics and setting a good example for the journalistic community.
Those at the NYT who made the decision to publish this review early probably won't be held accountable for this breach of ethics. That's a shame because it just reinforces their bad behavior.
I'm only one person, and I'm sure they won't care, but I'm going to call the NYT this afternoon. I'm going to cancel my subscription to their Sunday edition. For whatever it's worth, I'm not going to give any more money to a company that exhibits such lack of respect, lack of ethics, and poor judgment.
Live well,
