The headline on this article as posted at USAToday.com is “USA TODAY culture enabled deceit.” Phrases used include “virus of ‘fear,” “palpably defective” (lines of communication between departments and staff), “complex structural deficiencies,” and “separate responsibility from accountability.” The full report is here. The report also includes the phrase “internal lines of communication at USA TODAY are down and broken,” which the curious will find on page 6, and “some line editors say they resented being cut from meaningful participation in decision-making,” which is on page 7. You’ll find an interesting bit on page 9 —
Had [Jack Kelley’s] USA TODAY sponsors taken the time to listen and compare what he said with what he had written, they would have known that he was betraying them and those who heard him. At least once, for reasons known only to him, he publicly castigated the newspaper that employed him and sponsored his speeches.
— about which the reader may draw her own conclusions.
