And the winner is…
: NY Times public editor Dan Okrent takes the paper to task for covering the Tony awards because they benefit a small club of theater owners.
Fine, Dan, but name an award that is not similarly tainted by a closed loop of self-interest: certainly the ludicrous Golden Globes (which you and the Times arts editor acknowledge) but also the Oscars and Grammies and Emmies and…
For that matter, Dan, I dare ya to put the same analysis to the Pulitzers. They benefit a closed loop of big print publishers (rather than awarding just the people who own big theaters they award people who own presses, ignoring the people who can now publish without presses). And I say — not without many who’d disagree with me — they can even pervert journalism, motivating editors to editor for each other — that is, for the prize jury — over editing for readers.
