Jane Pauley Sues the New York Times

Jane Pauley was interviewed by a person who, according to this lawsuit, claimed to be a N.Y. Times reporter. The interview concerned Pauley’s history with mental illness, and as she understood it, was meant for an article that would appear in the N.Y. Times Magazine. But in fact the article appeared in an advertising supplement of the Times Magazine. To the layperson, this might not seem like such a big deal. But to any journalist, and certainly to Jane Pauley, this is fraud pure and simple. It makes journalists look bad — even though the alleged perpetrator worked for an outfit called DeWitt Publishing, and probably wasn’t really a journalist at all. My only question is why Pauley, along with suing DeWitt, is also suing the Times, which from the lawsuit doesn’t appear complicit at all. On the other hand, that’s where the offending article ultimately appeared.

Addendum: Today’s (10/26) Wall Street Journal gives the Times’s side of the story, with a Times spokesperson saying this: “Ms. Pauley’s assistant was told that the article for which Ms. Pauley was to be interviewed would appear in a special advertising supplement and Ms. Pauley agreed to participate.”