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The current title I'm seeing is "Inside America’s Dysfunctional Trillion-Dollar Fighter-Jet Program" which seems misleading as well; it's more of a history of p

by mlb_hn 7y ago

The current title I'm seeing is "Inside America’s Dysfunctional Trillion-Dollar Fighter-Jet Program" which seems misleading as well; it's more of a history of press releases. Doesn't look like they interviewed anyone actually working on it aside from the fellow in charge if that.

bonestamp2 7y ago
How does such a poorly researched article get published in the NYT? My personal blog is better researched than this.
- Arubis 7y ago
  If you hit Publish on your personal blog three days later than originally planned, you’re unlikely to be fired over it.
  - bonestamp2 7y ago
    It's because they don't care enough about being accurate. Maybe you're right, and that carelessness is a byproduct of speed. But, it's not like this was breaking news. They had enough time for a technical editor to have a look.
- danso 7y ago
  The author reported an extensive story about the F-35's flaws based on exclusive documents in June. This submitted story revisits that work (and writes it in the style of the NYT Mag): https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems/ https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-b...
- Railsify 7y ago
  Clicks are what publishers chase now, there is only so much time a modern reporter can research before they need to publish something. They have to weigh short term revenue vs. Pulitzer prize. An article or series of articles that truly brings enough positive attention to the defense industries largest project and the players involved might be considered, but can a team focus on that in the current click driven publishing space?
danso 7y ago
The article describes at length the thoughts of Lt. General Christopher Bogdan, who was in charge in 2014; Vice Admiral Mat Winter, who was in charge until this past July. The reporter for this article actually works for Defense News, and the NYT article cites material from, and links to her June 12 article, which refers to "documents exclusively obtained by Defense News" which describe 13 "category 1 deficiencies": https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems/ https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-b... Note that the posted article is a NYT Magazine piece, which has different editorial style and convention from the newspaper. Typically, a story this long wouldn't be written by a non-staffer in the newspaper. But it's not uncommon for the magazine to commission a writer who has written a notable article for a different publication to generalize and elaborate on it for the NYT Magazine.
- mlb_hn 7y ago
  I think we agree on the sourcing, just we disagree on the definition of "inside".
Recurecur 7y ago
> The current title I'm seeing is "Inside America’s Dysfunctional Trillion-Dollar Fighter-Jet Program" which seems misleading as well "Dysfunctional" is also misleading. The program has produced three operational variants, including the first ever supersonic STOVL aircraft. The US and Israel have both conducted F-35 airstrikes. That is a called a "functional" (if by no means perfect) aircraft development program. It's also encouraging to see the F-35A price falling as expected...

by mlb_hn 7y ago

bonestamp2 7y ago

How does such a poorly researched article get published in the NYT? My personal blog is better researched than this.

Arubis 7y ago
If you hit Publish on your personal blog three days later than originally planned, you’re unlikely to be fired over it.
- bonestamp2 7y ago
  It's because they don't care enough about being accurate. Maybe you're right, and that carelessness is a byproduct of speed. But, it's not like this was breaking news. They had enough time for a technical editor to have a look.
danso 7y ago
The author reported an extensive story about the F-35's flaws based on exclusive documents in June. This submitted story revisits that work (and writes it in the style of the NYT Mag): https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems/ https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-b...
Railsify 7y ago
Clicks are what publishers chase now, there is only so much time a modern reporter can research before they need to publish something. They have to weigh short term revenue vs. Pulitzer prize. An article or series of articles that truly brings enough positive attention to the defense industries largest project and the players involved might be considered, but can a team focus on that in the current click driven publishing space?

danso 7y ago

The article describes at length the thoughts of Lt. General Christopher Bogdan, who was in charge in 2014; Vice Admiral Mat Winter, who was in charge until this past July. The reporter for this article actually works for Defense News, and the NYT article cites material from, and links to her June 12 article, which refers to "documents exclusively obtained by Defense News" which describe 13 "category 1 deficiencies": https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems/ https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-b... Note that the posted article is a NYT Magazine piece, which has different editorial style and convention from the newspaper. Typically, a story this long wouldn't be written by a non-staffer in the newspaper. But it's not uncommon for the magazine to commission a writer who has written a notable article for a different publication to generalize and elaborate on it for the NYT Magazine.

mlb_hn 7y ago
I think we agree on the sourcing, just we disagree on the definition of "inside".

Recurecur 7y ago

> The current title I'm seeing is "Inside America’s Dysfunctional Trillion-Dollar Fighter-Jet Program" which seems misleading as well "Dysfunctional" is also misleading. The program has produced three operational variants, including the first ever supersonic STOVL aircraft. The US and Israel have both conducted F-35 airstrikes. That is a called a "functional" (if by no means perfect) aircraft development program. It's also encouraging to see the F-35A price falling as expected...