Bill Keller: My Iran Reporting Has Drawn 'A Few Bizarre Vibes'

By: Joe Strupp Executive Editor Bill Keller of The New York Times, who had spent the past week in Iran reporting on the post-election protests, is now in London, according to an e-mail he sent E&P today. He says he plans to return to New York Friday.

He also acknowledges "a few bizarre vibes" from people outside the Times to his on-scene work, some of which appeared on the paper's front page. But he contends it is not unusual: "Do people in the media crit game really think editors are supposed to be desk jockeys who never go get a sense of the story? Or is the idea that when a big, exhausting news breaks visiting editors should hole up in the hotel and let the reporters do all the work? Weird."

He also calls columnist Roger Cohen the only English-language opinion writer still in Iran and "great company in a revolution."

Keller, a former foreign correspondent who has past led coverage in Russia and South Africa, also praised his reporting team in Iran, stating they "worked their hearts out."

His entire e-mail is below:

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I'm laying over in London, running around all day, heading home Friday. It's easier to do e-mail.

I've had a few bizarre vibes from people outside the NYT who are puzzled by my presence in Tehran. Do people in the media crit game really think editors are supposed to be desk jockeys who never go get a sense of the story? (When I was a correspondent I had visits from Max Frankel and Joe Lelyveld, among others, and welcomed them as a chance to share my enthusiasm for the beats I covered.) Or is the idea that when a big, exhausting news breaks visiting editors should hole up in the hotel and let the reporters do all the work? Weird.

For the record, Bobby Worth (until his visa ran out Monday night) and our intrepid resident reporter Nazila Fathi worked their hearts out, and led the paper day after day. Roger Cohen, who columnizes for the IHT and our website, had a slightly longer visa and is now, I believe, the only English-language opinion-writer still actually in Iran. He has all the reporting energy and intelligence he had as a correspondent in the Balkans.

And he's great company in a revolution. By the time the story erupted, no one else could get into Iran, but Michael Slackman and Neil MacFarquhar worked the phones and tapped their years of past reporting in Iran. Those guys all deserve a standing ovation, and I'm proud that I could help. I think they welcomed having an extra pair of hands. Among other things, it meant that while Nazila and Bobby (and Roger) followed the main event in Tehran, I could go check out conditions somewhere else (Isfahan), which other news organizations lacked the resources to do.

Best,
Bill