No. They need to fire Rukmini. Just because she is considered a "superstar" in the newsroom doesn't mean she gets off the hook for embarrassing the company with a debunked project.
That seem ridiculous and unfair. Feels akin to fixing a security breach by firing the dev who introduced the vulnerability. What they need to do is adopt better processes and put mechanism in place for things like that not to happen again, no matter who the journalist would be.
> Feels akin to fixing a security breach by firing the dev who introduced the vulnerability.
How big is the breach? If it's a minor incident, sure, keep the dev. However, if the dev introduced a breach that caused the company millions of dollars in damages and likely an outside investigation, then that dev will likely be fired for incompetence.
> That seem ridiculous and unfair.
Not at all. That's how the media industry works: Factual errors are a cardinal sin.
The New York Times is the one of the most prestigious journalistic institutions in the world, one who touts its "Paper of Record" title with a reputation for thorough and accurate reporting.
Rukmini, Andy Mills, and their editors are expected to abide by those standards. With Caliphate, that went out the window. Not to mention the numerous red flags raised by other reporters and editors within The Times' Foreign team that pointed to questionable reporting and sourcing by to Rukmini.
Caliphate has collapsed under its weak reporting, forcing The Times to revoke and return several prestigious awards, including a Peabody and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, an embarrassing look for the paper. And, for that, heads should roll, from Rukmini and Mills to the editors overseeing the project.
However, this likely won't happen. Rukmini has already been reassigned to another section and will likely continue her work (in reality, The Times won't let go of one its
"star" reporters, and Rukmini won't find a more lucrative gig at a news organization with as much prestige and resources than The Times). Mills, however, will likely be fired, and not because of Caliphate: There are reports of Mills' predatory behavior toward young, female journalists, and many of them are coming forward. The outcry will likely reach a fever pitch and likely lead to his resignation next year.
What i want is a post mortem. What went wrong in their organization that let it through, and what changes are they going to make to ensure it doesn't happen again?
No. They need to fire Rukmini. Just because she is considered a "superstar" in the newsroom doesn't mean she gets off the hook for embarrassing the company with a debunked project.