NYT Tells Staff To Report Speaking Fees, Already
This note went out to NYT staffers yesterday evening, in the wake of Pulitzer prize winning columnist Tommy Friedman having to return a $US75K speaking fee, because Tommy Friedman cannot read:
A note from Bill Keller and Andy Rosenthal
To the staffs of the News and Editorial departments
We have been reviewing the newspaper’s policy on outside speaking engagements. We believe that you are all adhering to the spirit of the guidelines, both for speaking on behalf of the Times and to promote books.
But we have all become lax in complying with the parts of the ethics guidelines that require annual accounting of income from speaking engagements.
Briefly, you are required to file by Jan. 31 of each year an itemized accounting of all income over $US5,000 that you earned in the previous year from speaking engagements.
So, we’re asking anyone who earned more than $US5,000 from speaking engagements in 2008 to file an itemized accounting with the appropriate person by June 15. Your accounts for 2009 are due on Jan. 31, 2010, and so on.
If you are offered a single speaking fee over $US5,000 for an appearance based on your work as a Times staffer, you must consult before accepting. (In the newsroom, that’s with Craig Whitney or Bill Schmidt; in the editorial department, that’s with Carla Robbins for board members and Andy Rosenthal for columnists).
We will make sure that an annual reminder is sent around to the entire staff.
In the Newsroom, the annual accounts go to Bill Schmidt. In the Editorial department, they go to Carla Robbins.
Also, please remember that if you are promoting a book, you are required to submit in advance a list of proposed promotional events to your immediate supervisor.
Please review these and all the other guidelines relating to outside speaking engagements in Ethical Journalism.
One of the most important is: if you have any doubts, just ask.
Thanks very much,
Bill and Andy Andy
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
And... why?
Does the Times subtract speaking fees from their paycheck? If yes, fuck them; if not, why must staffers report them?
But we have all become lax in complying with the parts of the ethics guidelines that require annual accounting of income from speaking engagements.
I have never, ever heard of ethics guidelines dealing with standing up on a stage and opening one's mouth for money.
@kathotdog: The boss so nice they named him twice.
Does Andy Rosenthal actually go by "Andy Andy?" Like Boutros Boutros-Ghali?
Andy Andy-Rosenthal. Pretty sweet!
Paid to speak. Imagine that! I've been offered a fortune to shut up, but never to speak.
Oy Veh (Informality Reigns)
HAHA Ethical Journalism.
In 50 years, they will be the worst pop-punk metal mashup band, ever.
Muggs Bigglesworth
NYT sounds like the most annoying high school ever.
So is Tom Friedman now lowering his speaking fee, so he can squeeze in under the guidelines? After all, the earth is flat.
SultanaEleusis
@No Day Like Friday: The main reason behind the practice is to make sure that there aren't conflicts of interest happening in the newsroom.
Say the University of Maryland pays a reporter $10,000 to speak at the school on how the NYT covers steroid use stories. A few weeks before the engagement though a UMD player is caught juicing and the reporter that was hired to speak is put on the story. Do you think they're going to be fair and objective? Or would that extra $10,000 help them write a "lighter" story.
That's the thought process behind it.
That said, I agree with your sentiments.
aedude01
@No Day Like Friday: What about kneeling on the carpet and opening one's mouth for money?
@No Day Like Friday:
This is common practice. Basically, if you are a big business columnist, they don't want BofA paying you $100K to give a speech and then your being nice to BofA forever after that. It is their business because of reputational risk -- if it comes out that their people are being paid by the people they cover, it looks bad ...
Paddington