I struggled with this for a while but I will come out and say it. The @nytimes has a very problematic work culture. I have been burned by their editors before and yet as a freelancer, you learn not to take these things personally and pitch again.
Recently I pitched them a story which they "absolutely loved." They wanted to start working on it immediately but they wanted to work with me on the story. The eloquent email couldn't hide the disdain they have for local reporters.
Don't think of this as your idea being stolen or you being undermined, the email said. It's just that we are a very cautious organization. And we don't take many freelance pitches. The upside for you, the email said, would be you will get to see how we work.
And then the email adds - dangling the ultimate carrot in the face of a "native" journalist in a developing country -"and if all goes well, this could be the beginning of more stories with you and from you."
I don't need such carrots fortunately anymore. I have been a foreign correspondent for 21 years now and apart from my skin color- I am as good or in some cases a way better reporter and writer than many of them. And I know it. I don't need that validation anymore.
This email exchange left me shocked for days..I wanted to make sure I was not overreacting so I discussed this with my other editors and foreign correspondent friends And they were unanimous that this is "insulting."
Of course, tomorrow they will go ahead with the story - they have a detailed pitch I sent them.- and I really do not have recourse to any sort of justice. So, I am putting it here.
Questionable work ethics is institutionalized in NYT. And I have enough emails from the first incident to the current one to prove it. And I will make them public if ever the need arises. (End)
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