At Harvard, Chick Lit
Here's a funny media story.
This morning the Times runs a piece about whether Harvard will choose a woman for its next president. Then Matt Drudge links to it. Then the New York Sun runs a piece saying, "
Harvard could be preparing to select a woman as its new president, according to a post on www.drudgereport.com."
According to a post on www.drudgereport.com? Hmmm...seems to me you should credit the newspaper which actually ran the story, not the website that happened to link to it.
In any case, now suddenly you have a media mini-blitz about Harvard choosing a female president. Even the Crimson gets into it, with this story: Woman to Take the Lead?
Now, about the Times piece, by Alan Finder. It contains absolutely no news. It reports on the Crimson's disclosure of the list of 30. It says that maybe an insider will be chosen. It says that some freshmen care, some don't.
And it contains provocative quotes like this one: “I wouldn’t be surprised if the new president is a woman,” Dr. Maguire added. “It’s just time. There are lots of good women around.”
And I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants lost to the Eagles in the last second of the game. Or if the sun came up tomorrow. Some things, you're just willing to go out on a limb about.
This isn't to take too much of a shot at Alan Finder; the article's a perfectly good one for anyone who hasn't been paying attention to the Harvard search, which is most of the world. Still, one wishes that he did advance the ball just a little.
It is also slightly weird that the paper publishes photos of the two women, Ruth Simmons and Amy Gutmann, who have most decisively removed themselves from consideration. How about Drew Faust, Elena Kagan, or Alison Richard? Nowhere to be seen.
And the Times wonders why its audience is slipping.....
