NPR

Transcript: Former New York Times Editor Jill Abramson Addresses Book Allegations

The former New York Times executive editor and author of Merchants of Truth tells NPR's Michel Martin: "I will do everything within my power to correct anything that is imperfect in my book."
Journalist Jill Abramson participates in a conference at Santa Clara Convention Center on Feb. 24, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif.

In an interview with NPR Thursday, former executive editor of The New York Times, Jill Abramson, responded to allegations of plagiarism related to her new book Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts.

"Though I did cite these publications and tried to credit everybody perfectly, you know, I fell short," Abramson said.

In the book, which hit shelves Tuesday, Abramson examines four news outlets Buzzfeed, Vice, The New York Times and the Washington Post as they navigate an age of multi-platform news.

Following is a transcript of the interview. It has been edited for clarity.

Michel Martin: So, let's start with disclosures which, as you point out, is something highly prized in the legacy media, that we worked in the same newsroom at The Wall Street Journal and we did parallel reporting around the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings and you appeared in a documentary I reported on. So, with that being said, we know each other.

That being said, we want to get to the substance of the book but we want to speak to the controversy swirling around its release. Allegations of inaccuracies by people that you write about after reading the galley, a Vice journalist said you were wrong about her gender identity and her journalism background. Some of those errors were corrected in the final printed work. But she says that other errors remain a PBS reporter said you misrepresented his decision not to wear protective clothing while covering the Ebola epidemic. The person who reviewed the book for NPR says you made a quote surprising number of errors in your own work and she said that many of these are quiet but revealing omissions of context so what do you have to say about that.

Jill Abramson: Well, you know, accuracy and devotion to the truth are so important to me. And I take all of these, you know, allegations of inaccuracy and plagiarism very seriously. When I found the allegations have merit, I have moved very quickly to correct everything including the issue of — the book does not have the wrong gender identity but includes the word transgender in

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Big Sean: Tiny Desk Concert
The respected lyricist and hip-hop hitmaker comes to the Desk for one of the longest setlists in Tiny Desk history.
NPR9 min readWorld
Fractures In The Grand Alliance Between Black And Jewish Americans
The Grand Alliance between Black and Jewish leaders, known largely for shared work on Civil Rights in the 1960s, has a complicated legacy--and an uncertain future between these communities.
NPR2 min read
Milky Way Black Hole Has 'Strong, Twisted' Magnetic Field In Mesmerizing New Image
The polarized light image gives us a "new view of the monster lurking at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy," according to the European Southern Observatory.

Related Books & Audiobooks