Boston Globe editor Nancy Barnes has told her staff that the paper plans to offer an explanation about what went wrong with former reporter Andrea Estes’ story about MBTA managers who work remotely. Her email was passed along to me by a trusted source and closes with this:
Finally, I want to acknowledge the concerns individuals have raised about the multiple corrections in the recent MBTA story about executives living remotely. I am still working to unravel all of this and so there is not a lot I can say publicly for now except this: We will hold ourselves accountable for our mistakes because trust is so essential to us as journalists
This is good news and sends exactly the right message. Barnes took over for Brian McGrory just a few months ago, and this is her first public crisis. I look forward to reading the Globe’s account of what happened.
Earlier:
- Andrea Estes has left the Globe following an error-riddled story about the MBTA (May 4)
- An ombudsman could have explained what went wrong with the Globe’s MBTA story (April 28)
Discover more from Media Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Great write up
The error riddled story is pretty dispiriting. Dan. Editor Barnes’s acknowledgement is comforting but suspiciously incomplete and dragged out. Surely they know much more. Firing a clerical employee is a “personnel matter.” Firing a well known, longtime reporter for major inaccuracies in a front page story is news. I fear we wouldn’t even know what we do with media critics like you, so thanks. Keep at it.
This blog is a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about the topic.