I thought The New York Times could not stoop lower. First, they stole your work. Then, they tried to scare and intimidate writers by demanding that they sign away rights they we all won in the U.S. Supreme Court.
But, the Times has now gone even further: it has created a blacklist. Several days ago, I was provided an internal New York Times memo by a confidential source (the memo is pasted below). In the memo circulated throughout the top echelons of the newspaper, top Times editor, Michaela Williams, writes that "our lawyers recommend that the newspaper not engage any of the below named plaintiffs to write for the newspaper." The memo then lists all the original 11 plaintiffs in Tasini v. The New York Times.
It is a sad day when the paper of record resorts to the kinds of tactics that have left deep scars on the soul of this country.
Here is what we must do RIGHT AWAY:
1. Send an e-mail to Michaela Williams at: mickey at nytimes.com Express your outrage at The Times' action. Ask her to justify such actions that remind us of the discredited and immoral blacklists of the 1950s. Make the point that blacklists are contrary to freedom of expression--the ideal that all newspapers must live by.
Please send a copy of your e-mail to letters at nwu.org
2. Call the office of Arthur Sulzberger at 212-556-3588. Convey the same message by phone that you sent via e-mail to Williams.
3. Circulate this alert to other writers, websites and listservs. Ask your colleagues to take action also.
We will suggest additional action in the next day or so.
Solidarity,
Jonathan Tasini President
------------------------------------- Memo from The Times
X-Sender: mickey at mailgate.nytimes.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.2.2 Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2001 17:07:03 -0400 To: "News Exec":; From: Michaela Williams mickey at nytimes.com Subject: Tasini plaintiffs
Sept. 18, 2001
Folks:
I'm sending this list around again, just in case it didn't reach you earlier. Please see that relevant assigning editors and backfield editors and clerks get copies.
Our lawyers recommend that the newspaper not engage any of the below named plaintiffs to write for the newspaper.
These are the original named plaintiffs in the Tasini lawsuit: Jonathan Tasini Barbara Belejack Mary Kay Blakely Barbara Garson Daniel Lazare Margot Mifflin Joan Oleck Sonia Jaffe Robbins Lindsy Van Gelder David S. Whitford H. Bruce Franklin Named plaintiffs in a class action suit filed by the Authors Guild against The Times: Derek Bell Lynn Brenner
Thanks, Michaela
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