NYT Won’t Foot Bill For Staffers’ Haiti Donations

by Glynnis MacNicol | 10:33 am, January 15th, 2010

» 1 comment

How we donate now! Oy. While the country is reaching into their pockets (and cell phones) and donating in record amounts to the Haiti relief effort, the New York Times sent out this awkward email yesterday informing its staff it would not be ponying up for their generosity. Politico’s Michael Calderone snagged this memo to staffers:

To the Newsroom:
The catastrophic earthquake in Haiti has prompted many staffers to make donations to aid quake victims. We encourage that. However, if you have an AT&T cellphone, you may have received a text offering you a chance to make a contribution to assist them by simply texting a number. Remember, however, that if you have a company-paid phone, that bill goes to the company and is paid by the company. it is not a personal contribution. So, Bill Schmidt reminds everyone that if you would like to make a contribution, please use a method other than this one.

Sigh. And yet, can you really blame them. These are tough times. Obviously not as tough as Haiti, but still not great.

AT&T, haiti earthquake, Jenna Wortham, Michael Calderone, New York Times

http://www.swissarmyjew.com Keeva

You can’t blame them from the perspective of a normal business practice, but this is not a normal situation. Apparently the Times only cares about the Times and their only concern for Haiti is the possibility of front page photos to sell papers. They could just as easily have created a way for the employees to reimburse the company the 5 dollars.