And, unlike when he was editor of Harper's, many of Roger Hodge's new friends are women! (Too soon? Totally. It's a shame he was let go. And unfair? Probably! Sorry, it's just that we may never get over the Celia Farber incident. But we hereby offer him a job with us, for sure!)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
13
"She has for two decades consistently attacked medicine, belittled scientific research and enthusiastically promoted denialists and their various claims."
Sounds like she SHOULD be writing for the Huffington Post.
Feelings about the Farber piece aside (which as far as I know he didn't even assign), Hodge published a lot of women while he was editor, and was a fine steward of the magazine. This whole episode is a real shame.
this statement is true.
Please, whatever his merits, let's not give him a pass on female bylines in Harper's. Your "a lot of women" is far short of half, and plenty of issues are all male.
So how would you correct that inequity, Rollo? Just curious, not trying to get into a fight. As far as I know, they assign pieces on the merits of their ideas. It's a problem across the publishing landscape, whether Harper's is more of a boys' club than elsewhere is a matter of debate, but insisting half the bylines be women strikes me as unreasonable.
I agree, p_s, a 50/50 quota makes no sense - was just pointing out that Harper's never approaches that, and that all-male issues are a sign of a serious problem. I think it's something that an editor needs to stay very aware of. It would be nice if all magazine pieces were assigned "on the merits of their ideas," but it's never as simple as that. Even the most thoughtful editors have other, very often unconscious biases - toward their friends, toward celebrity, toward their own gender.
P.S. and sometimes it's just a bias toward writers who talk louder, who tend to be men.
Looking over his friend list, I'm 95% sure I know which former coworker leaked this to you.
I hope you're serious about getting Hodge to write here. He's brilliant and fierce (in a good truth-telling way, not a stupid Christian Siriano way).
P.S. Didn't know about that Celia Farber situation. That's weird and really disappointing.
sign of how illiterate i am: i thought this referred to the inimitable host of blind date.
Gosh! I got so into this newsletter that I just realized I'm late for my total body waxing app't! Bye!
I missed my waxing app't, but I was able to have some of my eggs rejuvenated! Oh, no, maybe I had them waxed instead!