Alessandra Stanley’s Brilliance Saves Her!

This disclosure was one of many that Keller made in a Q&A he did with L.A. Times‘ Jim Rainey, the full transcript of which was passed on to Joe Strupp at E&P.

The exchange reads thusly:

Q. Specifically, some people inside the paper believe that Alessandra has been allowed to continue as a critic, without sufficient punishment, because she is close with Jill Abramson. Your response?

A: We love a conspiracy theory, but the truth is simple: Alessandra has been allowed to continue as a critic because she is — in my opinion, among others — a brilliant critic.

As for the perception that some New York Times stars (ahem, Maureen Dowd) get special treatment, Keller had this to say (hint: he blames it on the editors!):

If any editor finds a factual error in any piece by any writer at this paper and fails to point it out because the writer might yell or because the writer is thought to be a favorite, then that editor is failing to do his or her job. Stars or purported stars are obliged to get their facts right. Editors are obliged to edit everyone without fear or favor. Period.

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