In Which The Grey Lady Gets Punked

Always willing to believe the worst of women–or perhaps simply too stupid to do their homework–the Times now admits that their January 28 piece on the DABAs was not completely on the level:

Editors’ Note
An article on Jan. 28 about women who commiserated over dating Wall Street bankers caught in the financial crisis described a group they had formed, Dating a Banker Anonymous, as a support group. That is the name of their blog. Its creators originally told The Times that about 30 women had participated, but since publication, they have said that all involved were friends. Laney Crowell, one of the women who started the blog, said in the article that it was “very tongue in cheek;” she has since described it as a satire that embellishes true experiences for effect. Had the nature of the blog been made clear at the outset, the article would have described it accordingly, not as a support group.

Many of us when we read this article thought something smelled funny. Including me. The tone was off, the women quoted seemed a little too flip, a little too shameless and publicity-seeking about their golddiggery. Of course, this kind of article always plays right into the hands of misogynists who love to believe that despite all the advances of feminism, career girls are really just looking to marry their way to a meal ticket. So thanks, Laney Crowell et al., for trying once again to fuck it up for the rest of us, and thanks, New York Times, for valuing a juicy piece of bitchery over common sense and a good fact-check.  You’re doing journalism proud!