September 20, 2010
Dear Mr. Putz:
I am writing to tell you of my disappointment in my recent experience with writing a letter to the editors of Boston Magazine. Let me begin by telling you how much I enjoy your magazine. I read it cover to cover every month and await its arrival at my home since I’m a subscriber. I think the in-depth reporting is fantastic and the subject matters covered are always interesting and well done.
When I received my September issue, I identified right away the Glee take-off on the cover. At first I thought it clever as a way to highlight the annual school report by using pop culture. But then I read the article and with even more interest the article about the charter movement and Roxbury Prep. I am very familiar with Roxbury Prep, having worked with their students and staff quite a bit when I was on staff at Boston Cares. I also care a great deal about the charter school movement. I am not a parent, but I care about education and about the students in our community. The more I considered the importance of this report each year and the impact it can have on area students, parents, communities and schools, the more annoyed I became that the cover was so fanciful, and if you’ll allow me to use the word: cheap.
It bothered me so much that I wrote a letter to the editor through your online mechanism. I’ve never written a letter to your magazine before, although I’ve written other publications. This is the letter I sent:
“Dear Editors,
I am a big fan of Boston Magazine. I await my copy each month and I love the in-depth articles and fantastic reporting you do, as well as the little tid-bits. I read it cover to cover and I am a fan on Facebook and I get your Weekender enewsletter as well.
I am so disappointed in your choice for cover for the Best Schools issue. While I watch Glee and I love it, I do partially because it is so campy and the things that happen on the show hopefully aren't happening in real schools (athletic directors starving cheerleaders and being generally mean, principals being blackmailed, teacher battles, treatment of students, guidance counselors needing counseling themselves, etc.). For you to parody the show on the cover to highlight a feature article that we look forward to each year which is serious and important seemed to me to cheapen the reporting.
I would've loved to see the Roxbury Prep students on the cover. What an amazing experience that would've been for those students, for the charter school movement overall, and for a neighborhood/community which is usually seen in a negative way in the media.
I continue to look forward to receiving my magazine each month, but felt compelled to share my feelings on this cover with you.
Best,
Karen
Jamaica Plain, MA”
Later that same day, I received a response to my email from Jason Schwartz, identified in his email signature as a Senior Staff Writer, asking me for my express permission in order to publish my letter in the magazine. I realize this could’ve been a formality, something done with every letter received. I responded straight away, giving my permission. Between the time I’d written the letter and was now writing the permission email, I’d read more of the magazine, so I added a P.S. to my email to Jason. My email in its entirety said:
“Hi Jason,
You have my express permission to print my letter to the editor if you wish. I live in Jamaica Plain, MA and my daytime number is xxxxxx if you need to reach me.
Thank you!
Karen
P.S. Just read the Gods and Mobsters article which was awesome and the Dunkin' article is one of the best things I've ever seen in print. What a great way to do that article. :)”
Imagine my surprise when I opened my October issue yesterday and found that I was indeed printed under the letters section, but not where I expected. Instead, under the section dedicated to the Dunkin’ Donuts article, there was my parenthetical post-script comment to Jason “’the Dunkin’ article is one of the best things I’ve ever seen in print’” wrote Karen of Jamaica Plain.”
I didn’t give permission for that to be printed. Don’t get me wrong: I loved the Dunkin’ article. But that wasn’t why I wrote you. And I didn’t give permission for it to be printed. I wrote a letter because of something I saw as an injustice. It was something important enough to me to sit down and write it out. And instead, that experience was also cheapened by your staff’s decision to pull a P.S. from an email and print that compliment instead of the criticism I was offering. I would rather have seen nothing from me in your magazine than to have this comment printed, since it was the complete opposite of my original intent.
I’m so disappointed again. What a bummer of an experience with your magazine. To first be disappointed in your cover choice and now be disappointed with how someone handled my correspondence.
I, of course, will continue to be a loyal reader. But my enthusiasm is dampened. I will anticipate delivery of your magazine with a little less verve than before.
I thank you for your time in reading this letter.
Sincerely,
Karen
________________________________________________________
I'm not sending the above letter because this morning I also emailed Mr. Jason Schwartz, and said this:
Jason,
I just received my October edition of Boston Magazine. I was shocked to see that you didn't use any of my letter to the editor, but did use something that was typed in a P.S. in my permission email to you. I gave you permission to use the letter to the editor I wrote. I didn't give permission to use a parenthetical line from an email to you. I'm even more disappointed now than I was when I wrote the original letter. I took time to write a letter about an injustice I saw (which you were welcome to ignore and not print at all) and instead you printed a compliment I made as a side note. I love your magazine, but I'm disappointed in this staff decision.
Sincerely,
Karen
Jamaica Plain
______________________________________________________
And he said this:
Hi Karen,
Thanks for the note. I think we owe you an apology. This is just one of those things that happened in the wash of putting that page together—it sometimes happens that we need a line in one spot for something or have to cut for space on another thing. It was totally not our intention to make it look like we were ignoring your criticism and just including the kind words (and we really do appreciate both). That page—like all of them in our magazine—goes through a lot of editors and it just sort of happened. I realize that this might not be the most satisfying explanation, but please know that we really do value your input as well as your loyal reading of the magazine.
Thanks again.
Best,
Jason
AND SO, THEY ARE FORGIVEN. And the Editor need not know.
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