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New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
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DailyCandy backer overheard in sale talks with Yahoo
Did Zuckerberg get drunk? Good for him

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Nick Denton
10/27/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
How about a little background? Justin Rocket Silverman, Karion's favorite New York journalist, also nearly got fired last year -- after he went on the Thrillist ride.
[www.portfolio.com] #mikealbo
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John Cook
10/27/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
Bercovici strikes again: His reporting got Sarah Polonsky canned from Page Six for similar reasons a few years ago.

[gawker.com] #mikealbo
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Seeräuber Jenny
10/27/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
Now, if the junket had been to Berlin [gawker.com] , I might have understood. (I think this was my favorite Underminer piece).
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Edited by Seeräuber Jenny at 10/27/09 2:43 AM Seeräuber Jenny was starred Seeräuber Jenny was unstarred

Seeräuber Jenny
10/27/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
Too bad. Mike Albo was so much better than the woman who thinks that fat people ain't got no right to live, much less shop. I thought The Underminer pieces were screamingly funny.

Albo, Balk, Choire-rhymes-with-story, I'm feeling nostalgic.

It wasn't the best exercise of judgment, of course, but this only confirms to me that it's a whole lot easier to be "pure" if you're wealthy.

I hope he lands on his feet.
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Edited by Seeräuber Jenny at 10/27/09 2:22 AM Seeräuber Jenny was starred Seeräuber Jenny was unstarred

TheBusinessGuy
10/27/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
Yeah, he shouldn't have taken the junket. But gifts are delivered at the Christmas season to writers at some of our best-loved publications, and no one says boo. #mikealbo
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ireadvanityfair
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
I just re-read Emily Gould's post from back in 2007 about Albo livin' the dream as a freelance writer.

[gawker.com]

Then I read his tweet:

"in case there is any confusion: im a freelance writer. i have 486 dollars in my bank account. i have no health insurance. i owe my parents $"

Who can't in the Manhattan media universe commiserate with that statement?

Should he have gone on the junket? Hell no. But I still feel bad for the poor guy. The whole thing just causes my head to reel. I hope Gawker, Daily Finance, or The Awl offers him a job so he can get some health insurance and pay his parents back. #mikealbo
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
"You totally crossed the line between what is ethical and what is garbage!"

"It’s hard not to cross it; they keep moving the little sucker, don’t they?"

-- Broadcast News #mikealbo
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elinorwhyme
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
So many things. For sure the NY Times wasn't going to do anything about it until it made the blogs and other press. Secondly, it's way over the top to cut his column about shopping when he took a travel junket. Also it's not exactly in the same realm as making facts up about WMDs in Iraq. Lastly, I am sure that for every Mike Albo there are 15 freelancers who contribute to the Times who have taken press trips, junkets, comp rates, free dinners and what have you, either for other pubs or because they are frickin' freelancers who work for themselves and want to keep up. #mikealbo
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BlinkyMcChuck
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
Also without sacrificing one of the only good things left to read in the paper. Oh well. #mikealbo
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Baroness
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
I feel bad for him, liked his column. And didn't ever make the connection that he was The Underminer here, back in yore. Which was damned funny.

It's hard enough to be a writer anywhere. I don't begrudge him some junket. I didn't know he did travel writing, the technicality which seems the convenient excuse for his firing. I'd hardly expect he'd be slavering over JetBlue as a result, anyway.

Now Cintra Wilson is unstoppable, alas. #mikealbo
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MyrtleWilloughby
10/26/09

@Baroness: I loved Mike Albo's column. It looked like the Style section was moving from their old slogan: "A rehash of fashions from three years ago - now on the Upper East Side!" to a new age of "Smart writing about dumb stuff." Albo's writing about shopping was so sharp I was hoping they'd give him a weekly column. This is hella bunz.
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Phyllis Nefler promoted this comment Edited by MyrtleWilloughby at 10/26/09 6:54 PM MyrtleWilloughby was starred MyrtleWilloughby was unstarred

Baroness
10/26/09

@MyrtleWilloughby: "Smart writing about dumb stuff." Yes, his columns had a glorious sense of the absurd about some of the snooty and expensive shops he checked out, told you what it was like as a shopper off the street with great humour. Aw, I really will miss his columns now. #mikealbo
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MyrtleWilloughby
10/26/09

@Baroness: The man could sum up the human condition by trying on seersucker pants. Those fools! #mikealbo
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procrastination_state
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
How is this different than David Pogue? It's a double standard applied to someone with very little power to fight back, or even present their case.
But the Times wouldn't have cared if it hadn't been publicized.

[www.nytpick.com] #mikealbo
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iplaudius
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
They’re just using this as an excuse to cost-cut/downsize. ONE MAN AT A TIME. #mikealbo
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
Who *didn't* go on that junket? #mikealbo
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Foster Kamer
10/26/09

@If_I_Had_a_Poodle: Exactly. #mikealbo
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hamburgerhotdog
10/26/09

@If_I_Had_a_Poodle: Julia Allison, believe it or not... #mikealbo
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/26/09

@hamburgerhotdog: Who? #mikealbo
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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
10/26/09

@Foster Kamer: Mais oui. #mikealbo
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davids
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
You guys are real fucks. Way to go, Gawker, get the little freelance guy who lives paycheck to paycheck. NYT lost a superbly talented and witty writer. Assholes. #mikealbo
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Atilla the Bun
10/26/09

@davids: Wait...how is this Gawker's fault? Did Nick Denton lure Albo aboard Jet Blue with a Red Stripe tied to the end of a string?
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BettyCrocker promoted this comment Edited by Atilla the Bun at 10/26/09 5:32 PM Atilla the Bun was starred Atilla the Bun was unstarred

BettyCrocker
10/26/09

@Atilla the Bun: It was a spliff and a meat pattie. #mikealbo
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davids
10/26/09

@Atilla the Bun: why don't you read the first post on Albo when Gawker helpfully forwarded along the freelancer's agreement to NYT, helping them see the light of Albo's voracious ways. Muckraking at its finest. #mikealbo
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Atilla the Bun
10/26/09

@davids: Since it's the NYT's freelance agreement, I have a feeling that the NYT already had a copy of it somewhere. It was Albo who signed the agreement, Albo who breached it, and Albo who tweeted about it. I think it's dumb that he was fired over it, but I think it's more than a little dumb to blame Gawker for it. #mikealbo
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Urbania
10/26/09

@Atilla the Bun: I agree that Mr. Albo is 100% responsible for his actions.

And, this post is pretty lame in not acknowledging that it was Gawker's original post that put the whole investigation into motion in the first place. Or am I missing that this was simply reported elsewhere? This post is written like "Woah the Underminer got fired! Wow that's interesting!" #mikealbo
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procrastination_state
10/26/09

@Urbania: No, it was Jeff Bercovici at Daily Finance posting it first, then Gawker following up. And Albo leaving a bunch of incriminating posts on his Twitter. He made a ridiculous mistake by posting about it in the first place, and should have known better than to do that, but the only reason the Times fired him was to avoid the _appearance_ of a conflict of interest.

Funny it took years for them to root out ethics lapses and a conflict of interest with Judith Miller, after she'd helped them push the case for war in Iraq. And then they let her "retire" to save face. #mikealbo
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SuchAndSuch
10/26/09

@procrastination_state: Still, one would like to think that Gawker wouldn't have been the ones fanning the flames of this story - and they definitely took the lead on it, even if they weren't the first to report it.

It's like yr ex-girlfriend hearing that you've forgotten to lock your bike, and then running up and down the block telling everyone about it until it finally gets stolen.

And then yr ex shakes her head and complains about the lack of cops... #mikealbo
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davids
10/26/09

@Urbania: Sure. Albo shouldn't have done the junket, etc, etc, so it's ultimately his fault but it's Gawker who helped get the ball rolling and now here we are. What I don't understand is why Gawker persisted with this non-story and then pretend that they had no hand in it? Whatever happened to Gawker as scrappy underdog going after big mean journalists with health benefits -- oh that was 4 years ago.

Albo's writing is what Gawker has long lost -- wit, smarts, and character. Maybe he'll take up blog writing. #mikealbo
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procrastination_state
10/26/09

@davids: Maybe they could give him a job. And benefits. #mikealbo
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Seeräuber Jenny
10/27/09

@Urbania:

When I saw this post, I thought:

The Underminer Undermined. Except nobody currently on the staff of Gawker or Jezebel is as clever a writer as Albo.

BTW, what happened to the fellow who used to contribute The Unethicist pieces?

Nonetheless, this isn't Gawker's fault. #mikealbo
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Maura Johnston
10/27/09

@Seeräuber Jenny: "BTW, what happened to the fellow who used to contribute The Unethicist pieces?"

Gabe Delahaye runs Videogum.com, a blog about TV, movies, and viral videos. It's pretty outstanding. (The site's a distant corporate relative of the one I run, but I would read it regardless.) #mikealbo
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Urbania
10/27/09

@procrastination_state: Got it, I didn't see the Daily Finance piece, and thought Albo's twitters were after the fact. Thank you for pointing that out. #mikealbo
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misslinda
10/26/09

In reply to New York Times Fires Freelancer for Misunderstanding Ethics Rules That the New York Times Also Misunderstood
I would like to take over as the NYT critical shopper, where I would write columns about how to buy an entire day-to-night-to-weekend wardrobe from only three locations (Target, Banana Republic's sale racks, and Loehmann's) and how to get the manager to mark an item down an additional 5-10% off if the clothing has a pen mark on it or is missing a button. #mikealbo
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Baroness
10/26/09

@misslinda: I just sort of love that fantasy ideal of "day-to-night" looks. For this mythical on-the go businesswoman!

Diana Vreeland used to lie down in her bathroom with lemon slices on her eyes for 15 minutes after work and before the next gala event. I myself just avoid the human race entirely. #mikealbo
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