Allan Wolper, a professor of journalism at Rutgers University, in New Jersey, has had decades of experience as a news media critic and, in his American homeland at least, is a nationally acknowledged expert on the subject of journalistic ethics, writes David Cohen.
That's to say, when it comes to his regularly published views in his country's oldest
journalism trade periodical, Editor & Publisher, he sometimes comes across sounding like a bit of an old windbag.
Still, one of his most recent ethical dilemmas does rate a closer look.
As Mr Wolper tells it in his regular column, one of his one of "my best journalism students", Kejal Vyas, was in Delhi completing some academic work when he received this e-mail from Nancy Sharkey, senior editor/recruiting for the New York Times , responding to his inquiry about the possibility of an internship:
"Hi Kejal, Based on what Allan Wolper has written about us, I cannot imagine that he would want one of his students to intern here. I guess if we need students from New Jersey, we will go elsewhere. Best, Nancy."
So farewell then, Kejal Vyas. The student, notes Mr Wolper, was devastated to learn that his hopes of working for America's most influential newspaper had been shattered "because his professor had criticised the New York Times for several years in Editor & Publisher."
So (just to make sure?) indeed the same journalism professor has done it once again, in a lively 1,200 word rebuttal.
