Timesman ‘blows’ it
Slurs NY Post reporter on social media site
A LAN Feuer, a reporter at the New York Times Metro desk, has been reprimanded for tweeting a euphemism for oral sex to a female features writer at the New York Post, who had lobbed a goodnatured criticism at him via Twitter.
Feuer’s sexual taunt to the reporter has earned him a rebuke from his editor, although he has yet to issue any public apology via Twitter or anywhere else.
The controversy started after Feuer’s latetothegame report on the meltdown at the Daily News, which resulted in the axing of about 50 staffers.
Jane Ridley, a veteran features writer for The Post, chided Feuer for using the word “empyrean” — apparently misusing it — in his report to describe the Times writing style in relation to its tabloid rivals.
The Post, Capital New York and others had been breaking stories about the Daily News meltdown for months. Feuer’s story was posted on nytimes.com on Sunday night.
In comparing coverage of the city’s big three daily papers, Feuer professed not to know what The Post’s mission was, but the Times style, in contrast was “empyrean.”
One Twitter responder pointed out that he misunderstood the meaning of “empyrean,” which means heavenly. Merriam Webster defines it as “the highest heaven or heavenly sphere in ancient and medieval cosmology usually consisting of fire or light.”
Ridley chimed in goodnaturedly on Twitter, “Speaking as a tabloid vet, I am proud to have never used such a wanky word as ‘empyrean’ in my copy.”
To which Feuer commented rather nastily, “have you ever used a wanky word like bw me.”
Ridley, after receiving the sexual taunt, took the high road in her response.
“Couldn’t you, as an NYT writer, be more creative with your word use than ‘bw me?’ ” Ridley asked.
Metro Editor Wendell Jamieson blasted his reporter. “It is not appro priate for anyone, least of all a Times reporter. I chewed him out. And he apologized.”
But Feuer still seemed unrepentant on Twitter, responding to Ridley’s question as to whether he could have found a more appropriate response with “nope that pretty much says what I was going for.”
“I wouldn’t use a phrase like that on a public forum like Twitter.er. I hope the whole thing blows over soon,” Ridley told Media Ink.
Aside from the reprimand, the Times was forced to make a factual correction to Feuer’s story.
Feuer reported that the News’ peak circulation was “nearly one million.” In fact, it peaked at 2.4 million in 1947.
Express is coming
A biweekly newspaper, Manhattan Express, is getting ready to debut in October from the Commu nity News Group chain of papers, covering Midtown, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side.
The move is likely to set off a newspaper war with Straus News, which publishes the West Side Spirit and Our Town, covering the same areas.
“The community newspaper business is a good business and ththis is one of the most vibrant areas of the city,” said Les Goodstein, head of CNG and a former exec of News Corp. and the Daily News. Goodstein said John CatsimatidisCat will distribute the free weeklies in Gristedes supermarkets.
Catsimatidis was among the suitors who had looked at buying the Daily News before its owner, Mort Zuckerman, pulled the tabloid off the market in August when he received no serious final bids.