Roberta Smith Is Way Off the Mark on the DIA

NY Times arts writer, Robert Smith, weighs in on the DIA and the possible sale of part of its collection.  I read the story on my flight back from Texas, and underlined so many conclusory statements and legal misstatements that my pen ran out of ink.

Donn Zaretsky does a great point-by-point analysis of Smith's inflated and fictional account, highlighting Smith's gluttunous use of hyperbole. Normally I would dismiss Smith's off-the-cuff comments given that on occasion she does hit the nail on the head. But since the ongoing DIA situation is of key public concern with major consequences, many readers who respect Smith's position as a Times writer will allocate significant truth and weight to her unfounded allegations, then turn around and disseminate these same ridiculous arguments.

I don't think I would be too crazy to say that some of Smith's comments border on being unethical and severely lacking in fact-checking skills, to the extent that I would encourage readers to contact the Times' public editor, Margaret Sullivan, and ask her to take a look into Smith's lack of journalistic integrity.

Roberta Smith Is Way Off the Mark on the DIA