Wayne Barrett

            Wayne Barrett is a writer who did not get along well with the other writers or editors because he took great pride in his work and did not want to see it changed. He would not go to the office because he would rather stay home since he did not fit in well with his work environment. His co-workers admitted that he was a difficult person to work with, but they had a very high regard for his work.

            He was also often described as a guy who wanted to say something good about someone but always ended up saying something bad. This was evident from many of his articles about mayors, where he would try to list some of the positive things they have done but would end up being overly negative with harsh criticisms. It is funny because in the New York Times article (“The Ex-Voice of the Village”), many of the people being interviewed reacted the same way when talking about Barrett – they often start off by saying he is a great guy, but they have to finish with some kind critique of his harsh work ethic.

            As they often say, the best writers are very difficult to work with because they view their writing as a personal masterpiece, and they often despise slight changes because they feel like it ruins their work. His style of work is definitely something to be respected, and he did some great investigative reporting for the Village Voice, so perhaps he had a right to act that way in regard to his work.

            I personally understand why he acts this way, as I cannot stand when people alter my work, but at the same time, I feel like I also have to be sympathetic to my mistakes, and I will always admit them if I feel they are legitimate. It also seems like he was very stubborn to change, and in a field like journalism, that is not really an excuse. The fact that he did not have a cell phone is not a very positive thing for a journalist because we need to always be up-to-date with what is going on and the same goes for his disbelief in e-mail.

            However, I will have to reserve my “telescope” comments on him until I actually meet him next week because it is very easy to judge someone by what others say about them, but the real perception of a person comes with your own interaction with them.