If I may, BAM!

I sent the following to the New York Times. It turns out that I can actually write well when I put my mind to it. ... about Harry Potter.
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To Whom It May Concern:


I am a long-time reader and, often, avid supporter of the New York Times. Not today, however. Today, I am saddened, sick, and profoundly disappointed in your publication. You see, I am also one of the millions of young people who has spent the past decade growing up with Harry Potter.

Your decision to print and run material from the unreleased final book is, in a word, wrong. There was not a shred of journalistic integrity in this decision. The only thing served by this action is a base, mean scrabbling for sensationalist material.

Furthermore, your choice has hurt millions of Harry Potter fans, many of them children, and all of them deserving of the simple decency not to have this book ruined for them. For them, today, you are the enemy. You have attempted to rob them of a moment of joy that they have been waiting for for many years. For some of them, it has been most of their lives.

To say that I expect better of the Times is an understatement. I can no longer consider the Times a model for conscientious and professional conduct. I wonder how, if at all, your newspaper can win back my respect, and the respect of the scores of readers like me.

I must say that I was pleased to see the condemnation handed out to you by JK Rowling and her Bloomsbury publishers. I hope this, and the harsh words of readers, gives you pause. I hope that you feel shame for what you have done. You cannot take this decision back. I hope that you will at least prevent The New York Times from behaving so poorly in the future.



Sincerely,

Amy Jupenstein*


*not true. I used my real name.