A few weeks back, I read a story in the New Yorker about The Poetry Foundation. It was an interesting article, about a topic I don't know very much about, and concerning people I don't know. I like the New Yorker, I liked the story, felt somewhat better informed when I'd read it than before I started. Then, today, I'm thumbing through the NYT Book Review and see this essay, on the same topic. Writer David Orr provides the connections and back story to the New Yorker piece, and in so doing reminds me yet again how invisible the intent in some stories can be, and how valuable that missing intent can be.
So how do I feel about the story in the New Yorker now? Much less sure, that's for sure. Was it a hatchet job? Sure seems like it, but a very subtle one, and one only visible to those close enough to see the weapon.
All the transparency in the world won't solve this problem. As the NYT piece notes, poetry blogs have been consumed by this for the past few weeks, all unseen by me. :) I guess the lesson remains: trust less and verify more. Or as my brother the scientist tells me all the time -- look at the source data. Today, at least, the source is discoverable, with the right time and enough interest.