Byron Calame
Encyclopedia
Byron Calame was the second public editor
of the New York Times. He succeeded Daniel Okrent
in this ombudsman
-like position in 2005, and was followed by Clark Hoyt
. He is a former bureau chief and editor of the Wall Street Journal.
Byron Calame earned a degree in journalism at the University of Missouri
and was a member of the Zeta Phi
chapter of Beta Theta Pi
.
after her controversial decision to go to jail rather than reveal sources of information. His stance on Miller was hotly contested by Miller and her supporters, who contended that Calame was acting more like a management representative than an independent thinker.
On January 1, 2006, Calame reported that New York Times executive editor, Bill Keller
, and publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., refused to answer his questions on the timing of the December 16, 2005, story on the leak on National Security Agency
classified programs.
Calame's focus on the nuts-and-bolts of newspapering, and the view of some observers that he pulls his punches, has drawn criticism. Jack Shafer, media critic for Slate
, contended in a May 2006 commentary that Calame has been a "dreadful" public editor. Shafer asserted that "Calame possesses a mandate that would allow him to boil the journalistic ocean if he so desired, but he usually elects to merely warm a teapot for his readers and pour out thimblefuls of weak chamomile."
Criticism among conservatives has been especially harsh, with syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin
calling Calame "totally worthless."
On October 22, 2006, Calame published a column saying that the Times was wrong to disclose the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program
.
His explanation for his earlier support for publishing was that
Boston Herald columnist Jules Crittenden hailed Calame's column as a "remarkable admission" that "could be the beginnings of an awakening" in the American media.
On December 31, 2006, Calame published a column that criticized an article in New York Times Magazine by Jack Hitt
that was published on April 9, 2006. The original article was entitled "Pro-Life Nation" and was about the illegality of abortion in El Salvador. Calame concluded that Hitt's article contained inaccuracies in regard to the criminal case of Carmen Climaco. Hitt had reported that Ms Climaco had received a 30-year jail sentence for having an abortion, but in fact the court concluded that Ms Climaco had strangled her full-term baby after it was delivered, and sentenced her for homicide.
Public Editor
The job of the public editor is to supervise the implementation of proper journalism ethics at a newspaper, and to identify and examine critical errors or omissions, and to act as a liaison to the public. They do this primarily through a regular feature on a newspaper's editorial page. The position...
of the New York Times. He succeeded Daniel Okrent
Daniel Okrent
Daniel Okrent is an American writer and editor. He is best known for having served as the first public editor of The New York Times newspaper, for inventing Rotisserie League Baseball, and for writing several books, most recently Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.-Education and...
in this ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
-like position in 2005, and was followed by Clark Hoyt
Clark Hoyt
- Personal life and Professional career :Clark Hoyt is an American journalist who was the public editor of the New York Times, serving as the "readers' representative." He was the newspaper's third public editor, or ombudsman, after Daniel Okrent and Byron Calame...
. He is a former bureau chief and editor of the Wall Street Journal.
Byron Calame earned a degree in journalism at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
and was a member of the Zeta Phi
Zeta Phi
The Zeta Phi Society was a fraternal organization founded at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri in 1870. The society became a chapter of Beta Theta Pi in 1890...
chapter of Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
.
As Times public editor
Calame's columns have focused on the process by which stories are produced at the Times and have generally been restrained in criticizing the newspaper and its reporters. One exception was his severe criticism of Judith MillerJudith Miller (journalist)
Judith Miller is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, formerly of the New York Times Washington bureau. Her coverage of Iraq's alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction program both before and after the 2003 invasion generated much controversy...
after her controversial decision to go to jail rather than reveal sources of information. His stance on Miller was hotly contested by Miller and her supporters, who contended that Calame was acting more like a management representative than an independent thinker.
On January 1, 2006, Calame reported that New York Times executive editor, Bill Keller
Bill Keller
Bill Keller is a writer for the The New York Times, of which Keller was the executive editor from July 2003 until September 2011. On June 2, 2011, Keller announced that he would step down from the position to become a full-time writer...
, and publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., refused to answer his questions on the timing of the December 16, 2005, story on the leak on National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
classified programs.
Calame's focus on the nuts-and-bolts of newspapering, and the view of some observers that he pulls his punches, has drawn criticism. Jack Shafer, media critic for Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, contended in a May 2006 commentary that Calame has been a "dreadful" public editor. Shafer asserted that "Calame possesses a mandate that would allow him to boil the journalistic ocean if he so desired, but he usually elects to merely warm a teapot for his readers and pour out thimblefuls of weak chamomile."
Criticism among conservatives has been especially harsh, with syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin is an American conservative blogger, political commentator, and author. Her weekly syndicated column appears in a number of newspapers and websites. She is a Fox News Channel contributor and has been a guest on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and national radio programs...
calling Calame "totally worthless."
On October 22, 2006, Calame published a column saying that the Times was wrong to disclose the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program
Terrorist Finance Tracking Program
The Terrorist Finance Tracking Program is a United States government program to access the SWIFT transaction database revealed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times in June 2006. It is part of the Bush administration's "Global War on Terrorism"...
.
- There were reasons to publish the controversial article, but they were slightly outweighed by two factors to which I gave too little emphasis. While it’s a close call now, as it was then, I don’t think the article should have been published. Those two factors are ... the apparent legality of the program in the United States, and the absence of any evidence that anyone’s private data had actually been misused.
His explanation for his earlier support for publishing was that
- I fear I allowed the vicious criticism of The Times by the Bush administration to trigger my instinctive affinity for the underdog and enduring faith in a free press.
Boston Herald columnist Jules Crittenden hailed Calame's column as a "remarkable admission" that "could be the beginnings of an awakening" in the American media.
On December 31, 2006, Calame published a column that criticized an article in New York Times Magazine by Jack Hitt
Jack Hitt
Jack Hitt is an American author. He is a contributing editor to The New York Times Magazine, Harper's, and This American Life. He served previously as a contributing editor to the now-defunct magazine Lingua Franca. He also frequently appears in places like Rolling Stone, Wired, and Outside Magazine...
that was published on April 9, 2006. The original article was entitled "Pro-Life Nation" and was about the illegality of abortion in El Salvador. Calame concluded that Hitt's article contained inaccuracies in regard to the criminal case of Carmen Climaco. Hitt had reported that Ms Climaco had received a 30-year jail sentence for having an abortion, but in fact the court concluded that Ms Climaco had strangled her full-term baby after it was delivered, and sentenced her for homicide.