Thursday, August 17, 2006

NYT entanglement with Bob Hecht?

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00171.htm
Thanks to Suzan Mazur for pointing out her new article at the above address, entitled Add NYT To Bob Hecht Antiquities Ring Organigram?: "While various American antiquities dealers, curators and collectors are 'subjects of interest' of Italian and Greek prosecutors who, in the last year, particularly, have opened the floodgates for the return of their countries' cultural patrimony - the question is: Why not the media?
For instance, there is no finer example of promotion and protection afforded the antiquities trade than New York Times reporter Rita Reif's June 1988 plug for art dealer Bob Hecht in the story titled, "Archaic Smiles Have Persisted for 2,000 Years". Hecht is on trial in Rome for trafficking in ancient art --charged with being one of the capos, if not the mastermind of an international conspiracy.
But the media's entanglement starts much higher up than Reif. It begins with the NYT Sulzberger publishing family and includes its stable of art critics who have for decades serviced Hecht and other dealers selling antiquities without provenience (site from which artifact is plundered or excavated) with their unquestioning reviews of exhibitions and objects."
See the above page for the full story.

For those of you who haven't run into Scoop before (the website hosting this piece) you can find out about their approach and editorial policy at the following address. An extract is provided below.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/about/
"Scoop is a 'fiercely independent' press release driven Internet news agency accredited to the New Zealand Parliament Press Gallery and also fed by a multitude of Business, Non-Government-Organisation, Regional Government and Public Relations communication professionals. Scoop also publishes a variety of raw, unedited material from national and international commentators while producing its own editorial content on important current issues — often giving voice to perspectives not being addressed through 'traditional media' sources."

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