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January 16, 2007
Diane doesn't do documents
Online commentary about NY Times reporter Diane Cardwell's profile of City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden jumped on the fact that Cardwell continues to support the myth that NYC Planning convinced developer Bruce Ratner to scale back Atlantic Yards, even though documents reveal that the "scaleback" to the plan's original size was developer-driven, perhaps even a carefully planned PR maneuver.
Links: Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, Knowing the Community
OnNYTurf, The Subtle Process of Rewriting the History of Atlantic Yards
An update to OnNYTurf's post reveals one possible reason for Cardwell's tone deafness, despite actual documentary evidence. In a 2006 interview with NYU's webzine, Bullpen, Cardwell makes an astonishing admission:
While her reporting has won the respect of editors and readers alike, Cardwell’s journalistic methods are unorthodox. “I don’t look at documents,” she said. Instead, she prefers talking to sources, listening to the tone of their voices and content of their explanations.
NoLandGrab: Fact-based journalism of verification, like fact-based foreign policy, seems old-fashioned these days.
Does Cardwell's brand of journalism remind anyone of Bush's assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin?
I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul...
Posted by lumi at January 16, 2007 9:38 AM