Date: Updated June 6, 2003
IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER VOWS BIG CHANGES AT NEW YORK TIMES
Paper to Switch to All-Whopper Format
In a move seemingly designed to rock the journalism world, former Iraqi
Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf was named executive editor of
The New York Times today after the surprisingly brief seven-hour tenure of
interim editor Joseph Lelyveld.
Mr. al-Sahaf, who had been serving as the spokesman for media giant
AOL-Time Warner, said he welcomed the challenges ahead in his new post at
the Times.
"Much as I loved working at AOL-Time Warner, I was bored," Mr. al-Sahaf
said. "That company is such a well-oiled machine, there just wasn't much
for me to do."
But Mr. al-Sahaf showed that he was ready to hit the ground running as
executive editor of the Times, naming as his deputy editor former Baghdad
Times editor Maysaloun al-Hillawi, also known as "Dr. Typo."
The former Iraqi Information Minister added that the paper would now
switch to what he called an "all-whopper format," dropping any remaining
pretense of reporting the facts.
Dr. David Beiler of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism
called the change in formats "shrewd."
"If you have to make a choice between getting all of the facts right or
none of the facts right, getting none of them right is definitely easier,"
Dr. Beiler said, adding that the Times had recently spelled his last name
"Bieler."
In this morning's edition of the Times, the first under Mr. al-Sahaf's
stewardship, the front page headlines read, "U.S. FINDS WEAPONS OF MASS
DESTRUCTION," "NO CORK IN SOSA'S BAT AFTER ALL," and "MARTHA STEWART FULLY
EXONERATED."
**** BOROWITZ ON CNN TWICE ON FRIDAY ****
Andy Borowitz wraps up the week's biggest stories Friday morning on CNN's
"American Morning" at 8:30 EST. And Friday evening, Andy talks about his
book "Who Moved My Soap? The CEO's Guide to Surviving in Prison" with Lou
Dobbs Friday night on CNN's "Moneyline." 6:30 PM (EST); check local
listings.
**** BOROWITZ ON NPR SUNDAY ****
Andy Borowitz shares his thoughts on Martha Stewart this Sunday on
National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition Sunday"; check local listings.
**** "WHO MOVED MY SOAP?" NOW IN ITS SECOND PRINTING! ****
"Who Moved My Soap? The CEO's Guide to Surviving in Prison" by Andy
Borowitz is already in it second printing! Order today at your local
bookstore or at Amazon.com for only $9.95.
"The funniest business-book title we've come across in a while is from
humorist Andy Borowitz: 'Who Moved My Soap? The CEO's Guide to Surviving
in Prison.'" -- The Washington Post
"Very funny." -- Publishers Weekly
"A strong candidate for our book of the year award." ? The Guardian (U.K.)
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