Economist, May 16

(posted Saturday, May 16, 1998)

The lead editorial frets over crises in India and Indonesia. The international community must level sanctions on India for its nuclear tests, or other near-nuke countries (Taiwan, Iraq) will be tempted to conduct their own tests. India's government is using the tests for political gain, because the economy is weak. On the Indonesian front, the editorial calls for Suharto's army to abandon him and for the International Monetary Fund to withhold loans unless Suharto steps down. ... An editorial claims that Israel is to blame for the gradual breakdown of the Middle East peace process. The United States should stop feebly appeasing Israel and start making clear, unwavering demands. ... A book review tells the fascinating story of W.C. Minor, major contributor to the original Oxford English Dictionary. A schizophrenic, Minor was in the midst of a delusion when he shot a man. He filed his excellent entries from a prison-hospital for the criminally insane. "He was given two cells, one of which he turned into a library and filled with antiquarian books; he was allowed to practise his flute and paint water-colours; and he was even allowed a knife, to cut the pages of the old books, although in the end he used it to slice off his penis."

Details, June 1998

(posted Saturday, May 16, 1998)

A story profiles Jared Paul Stern, promising young gossip columnist for the New York Post's "Page Six." Foppishly dressed and snottily mannered, Stern always gets his dish--but not without incurring the hatred of seemingly all New York. The piece points out that gossip columnists are generally far more seasoned than the 27-year-old Stern: "Stern's success in the gossip world is seen by many not only as an indictment of his moral character--surely it should take years for a person to become this shallow?--but as a maddening violation of the professional rules."

New Republic, June 1

(posted Friday, May 15, 1998)

The magazine apologizes for having published fabricated articles by Stephen Glass and announces Glass' dismissal as associate editor. It acknowledges that, as has been widely reported, Glass invented characters, organizations, and events in the recent article "Hack Heaven" and other pieces. How did it happen? "For reasons known only to him, Glass mounted what appears to have been quite an elaborate effort, including the falsification of documents and reporter's notes, to trick our editors and elude our fact-checkers." (For more on the uproar, see Jack Shafer's "Glass Houses.") ... The cover story notes the growing irrelevance of college presidents. Once, they were revered public intellectuals; now, they spend more than half their time fund raising and most of the rest on administration. They don't take high-profile stances for fear of a backlash. (Full disclosure: Slate's David Greenberg wrote the piece.) ... An article says Democrats are secretly planning a report about Kenneth Starr's alleged "illegal collusion" with right-wing Clinton enemies. At a time when Clinton is being compared to Nixon, the report would be designed to make Starr look Nixonian.

New York Times Magazine, May 17