Tuesday, March 23, 2004

ROMENESQUE: It's amazing, looking at the stats, how many people are comng to the website for How Dare You Lie To The Times In Your Wedding Announcement story. People want to know more.

This incident raises a broader question: how much fact-checking should be done on wedding announcements? I mean, it's stuff that's being printed in a newspaper, but it's more fact-esque than the matters discussed rest of the paper. But, still, if a reputable newspaper is going to print something, isn't there an obligation to determine whether it's true?

It's not hard to have an intern call around each week to verify academic degrees and present employment. But beyond that, does the Times need to verify whether a couple really did fall in love with first sight, or whether Christopher Simon really was "shocked and delighted" by the offer of a shared cab ride with his wife-to-be, or even if such an incident actually happened? Can they just rely on lovebirds' recollections, or is there an obligation to dig further?

Thoughts? Comments?

(My previous fishing expedition with the NYT Styles page started here and ended here.)

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