Economic pressures and social media are forcing the media to think twice about upsetting readers
By the time the 130,000 regular readers of the New York Review of Books picked up their new copy of the literary journal last week, the cover story had already cost the editor Ian Buruma his job. A spectacularly ill-judged essay, written by Canadian former radio presenter Jian Ghomeshi, provided a lengthy reflection on all the bad things that had happened to him as a result of allegations arising out of his behaviour towards women.
Incredulous and angry that the NYRB would provide a platform for public rehabilitation of an alleged sexual abuser, journalists and subscribers expressed anger and dismay at the publication. Seemingly unable to stop digging, Buruma responded to the criticism through an interview with Slate’s Isaac Chotiner where he demonstrated an embarrassingly shaky grasp of the background to Ghomeshi’s story. The quote that ricocheted around the web showed a cringeworthy lack of awareness about how the story was perceived “The exact nature of his behaviour – how much consent was involved – I have no idea, nor is it really my concern,” said Buruma. And with that, he was gone.
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