nick sylvester = maker upper

-- darin (darin...), March 2nd, 2006.

Most people (even "normal" ones) don't like being bullshitted, regardless of the relative level of importance.

But I still think you guys underestimate the audience sometimes...

This is exactly the scenario that played out when Steve Martin (Nasty Little Man) went after Brent DiCrescenzo's Beastie Boys review at Pitchfork: an established (and aging) industry peer sees a young cub juggling knives - which we all do to get people to look at us - but instead of smiling knowingly at the bravado - "Hey, I'm on this kid's radar, cute" - Lookner grabs one by the handle and jabs it into his forehead Munich-style.

Lookner is a fellow Harvard alum, and a tiring L.A. comedy writer from the dire MAD TV/mid-90s SNL eras. He was a big part of The Man Show. You will find him falling off the edge of a bar with Jay Mohr on most Wednesday nights. Check out Mohr's Gasping for Airtime insight into this meathead frat-boy clique's pathetic insubstantiality.

Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

Chris Ott
Editor in Chief
SPIN Magazine

Ethics not aside, if you're going to make something up, just write a book or something. It's called "fiction," and a lot of people like it.

I feel bad for Sylvester, hopefully this mess will blow over.

Also could Eppy stop posting to this thread. Or be castrated. Or at least stop talking about "we" as though he is more than one lonely person.

This isn't a instance of journalistic ethics that Nick Sylvester didn't learn at j-school or the tutelage of an editor. It's pretty basic morals. If you need to be told that lying is wrong, you've got problems that need more than a suspension. Which is why any editor who hires Nick from here on out will have a credibility problem to contend with. I'm sure Nick's a nice guy, but he just took a long piss into the wind without a clean towel in view.

FWIW, Ruth Shalit hasn't had a byline in years.

-- Eppy (epp...), March 2nd, 2006.

I don't feel I should devote my time here on this thread to guessing what you are gonna say.

Say it or get off the can.

wtf at all this 'fact-checker' shit? just do it right the first time, you lazy so-and-sos.

NICK LIE ALL YOU WANT YOU ARE INTERNATIONAL GONZO MUSIC SEX SYMBOL!!

newspapers should have fact-checkers. ostensibly, newspapers report news, and for a paper (even an alt-weekly) to lay off its fact-checkers is very irresponsible. i totally agree that journalists people who write for newspapers have an unspoken oath to get their facts straight, but the factchecking department should always be on guard to cover the newspaper's ass.

"caring" isn't the vicefork WAY

xpost

it is a newspaper, in that it often publshes news features.

In its March 30 issue, The Village Voice broke a shocking story connecting the growth of US-aided Muslim militance in Afghanistan with the February bombing of the World Trade Center.

(...)

In March of this year, the Village Voice broke exclusive new details of a special IBM wartime subsidiary set up in Poland by IBM's New York headquarters shortly after Hitler's 1939 invasion.

(...)

First, there was the story the Village Voice broke about the Mayor's aides allegedly offering a $144,000/year job to former City Councilman Thomas Ognibene in order not to run against Mayor Bloomberg in the GOP primary.

- its not a serious paper or anything

"Disclaimer: With the exception of the MP3 and verifiable band bio, this entire entry is probably made up."

instead of smiling knowingly at the bravado - "Hey, I'm on this kid's radar, cute"

how would you feel if a big newspaper printed a story saying you were in new york when you weren't? how would your wife + family feel?

it wouldn't work. they would hear me snoring on the couch.

JIMMY: YES I AM ADDICTED TO IT

RIFF: WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE "CUCKOO" FOR IT

JIMMY: ...

You know you've hit bottom when Tom Smith is lecturing you about ethics.

2) fluffpiece/lifestyle feature 'journalist' fate (neil strauss, tom junod, richard meltzer) - positive: nothing negative happens to yr career. negative: this means you're still a fluffpiece/lifestyle feature 'journalist'. positive: except now you're better paid. negative: you become an even bigger asshole.

Janet Cooke worked at a department store for like 20 years or something!

Also: Yes, yes, we know about that essentially useless Editor’s Note. More on that TK later.

Hmmm.