Petrelis Files

April 25, 2004

Ms. Catherine Mathis
VP for Corporate Communication
The New York Times
New York, NY

Dear Ms. Mathis:

I'm sure you're aware that one of your reporters, Mr. Denny Lee, once worked for the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal, a gay civil rights organization. At both groups, Mr. Lee worked as a spokesperson, frequently quoted in the press as such. [1, 2, 3]

However, I write to you because of an April 22 story by Mr. Lee about an automobile magazine targeting the hip-hop generation, which prodded me to question why the Times employs a former spokesperson for the ACLU and Lambda Legal. [4]

Could it be that like the Times' chief medical correspondent Dr. Lawrence K. Altman, who has a special arrangement with his editor to cover one of his former employers, the federal Centers for Disease Control, Mr. Lee has a similar special arrangement with his editor that allows his reporting to appear in the paper, even though he once promoted the agendas of two nonprofit advocacy groups?

Today I performed a search on Google for Mr. Lee and learned that in an October 14, 2001, story about partners of gay victims killed in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, he quoted a lawyer with Lambda Legal, but didn't disclose he used to work for the organization. [5]

In my opinion, this is journalistically akin to how Dr. Altman quotes researchers from the CDC, without revealing his past employment with the federal agency.

It was quite surprising to see on Google how many news releases were issued by either the ACLU or Lambda Legal, listing Mr. Lee as the spokesperson and contact for the respective group.

As a shareholder in the New York Times Company, I'd like to know about Mr. Lee's apparent special arrangement with the paper and if it's equal to the arrangement Dr. Altman has, which permits him to cover a former employer, and not disclose the fact to readers.

What exactly is the Times' policy on revealing to readers past employment opportunities, be it for a federal agency or civil rights advocacy groups?

I look forward to prompt reply.

Regards,

Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA
Ph: 415-621-6267

Sources:
1. ACLU Archives
2. Lambda Legal release
3. Time magazine article
4. New York Times article
5. NYT article by Mr. Lee quoting a Lambda Legal lawyer