The Playgoer: Sifton Defends NYT theatre coverage

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Sifton Defends NYT theatre coverage














Dr. Cashmere said...

The problem isn't a lack of reviews. (Although the Sunday critic was a great institution that should return.)

It's that, at least to my eye, it seems like there is a lot less theatre reporting than there was in The Times 10 years ago--especially outside of the Sunday section. Especially discussing anything other than Broadway.

And what reporting remains is dominated by celebrity-driven coverage and puff pieces.

If Jason Zinoman, say, had 800 words a week--or even every other week--devoted to exploring What's Going On In NYC Theatre, that would be a vast improvement over the current state of coverage.

The Playgoer said...

I completely agree.

I'd also just like to perspma;;u attest that Dr. Cashmere is NOT a pseudonym for one Jason Zinoman.

Actually with Zinoman and Campbell Robertson they have two very fine and knowledgable theatre beat reporters. Let them loose!

The thing about the "On Stage and Off" column that WAS valuable is it at least gave reporters like Zinoman and Jesse McKinley before him a guaranteed weekly space to show their reporting. Sifton is right that news breaks too fast these days. But, hey, that doesn't devalue Michael Riedel's meager two columns a week.

You know, when you look at old, old NYT theatre pages (as I often do for research) they had a DAILY theatre news-tidbit column. Would still be do-able. Just split up the "Arts, Briefly" to separate the theatre from the Paris Hilton/Pete Doherty items.