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September 2, 2012
Jay-Z article from Times survives without rebuttal about gift suite, skepticism about special deals
Atlantic Yards Report
The New York Times buffed Jay-Z, and hardly a discouraging word was heard. I wrote a letter to the paper that somehow didn't get printed:
"With Arena, Rapper Rewrites Celebrity Investors’ Playbook" (front page, Aug. 16) could have used more skepticism about the marketing of Jay-Z. For example, in June, the Nets told the New York Post that the rapper had not only designed the 11 exclusive Vault suites, he'd purchased the first one. The Times reported, without referencing the previous promotion, that Jay-Z paid nothing for his suite, worth $550,000 a year.
In a Launch Magazine interview 8/27/12, the writer of the Times article, David Halbfinger, described feedback on the article:
It was one of the top read stories of the day and the most e-mailed and most blogged about. I know the Nets are aware of the story and besides the league’s concern about the issue of uniform colors and skin color, I think by and large they were pleased with the story. There are people in Brooklyn who are critical of the project who are somewhat critical of the piece because it’s too laudatory but not everyone is going to be happy.
Maybe "not everyone is going to be happy" because some of them noticed the lack of skepticism in the article, also cited here.
Posted by steve at September 2, 2012 3:17 PM