(Revised) The other side of the story

It's a familiar phrase that's now being offered, in a manner of speaking by Linda Watson and John Treleaven, who are singing the roles of Brünnhilde and Siegfried in Los Angeles Opera's ongoing Wagner cycle Der Ring des Nibeulungen.

After being quoted extensively in a Los Angeles Times article (LINK) that has raced around the classical music world, both singers issued a joint letter to the company. At least they didn't say they were misquoted.

Dear Members of the Board of Directors,

We wish to clarify any misunderstandings that may have occurred from the report of our interviews regarding the Ring Cycle with the writer from the Los Angeles Times. We were explicitly asked by the Los Angeles Opera to participate in these interviews. We answered the questions that were asked of us, and discussed — in depth — many topics that never made it into print, including our singing of the roles, our relationship to Wagner and our appreciation for the Los Angeles Opera and its commitment to The Ring Cycle.

In light of the selective and biased representation of these interviews we wish you to know that we are fully—and without reservation—behind your efforts in this fantastic history-making project. We have already dedicated over a year and a half of our life’s work and love to it. The Los Angeles Opera is a wonderful company with great vision and we are delighted and honoured to be a part of this community.

Sincerely,

Linda Watson and John Treleaven

Comments

[moncler jacket]

Good stuff as per usual, thanks. I do hope this kind of thing gets more exposure.

[Rip Rense]

I spent 30 years of my life as a working journalist, ten as a reporter or feature writer on staff at L.A. newspapers. To repeat: when someone talks about roller skating for an hour-long interview, and then casually confesses to a murder, you don't lead with the roller-skating! And you are not even obliged to mention that it came as "part of a larger interview." What's more, Treleavan and Watson's criticisms of Freyer were extensive, not brief. Both singers were very aware of the controversial nature of their statements, and the timing, late in the game. They are not media naifs. There is absolutely no reasonable way to spin Ng's handling of the story as being anything other than not only good journalism, but entirely proper and routine journalism. To suggest otherwise, I can tell you with authority, is simply ridiculous.

[Bob Thomas]

I don’t dispute your basic point, that David Ng did a good job as a reporter of asking the questions that dug out the quotes he received from Linda Watson and John Treleaven regarding the problems outlined. However, the letter from the artists did answer my basic question regarding the timing of the complaints: “Why now?”

David’s story seemed as if, either through his initiative or the artists’, that the complaints were the sole focus of the interview. If what the letter says is accurate, the comments came within the context of a larger session. David could have noted that fact (with or without giving a positive quote about the company’s effort) but he chose not to do so or it was edited out (such things happen). Some people would call that good journalism; others would not.

For the record: LA Opera did not release this letter (a company representative to which I talked was surprised to read it on my Blog). It was posted (and still is) on the Wagner Society of Southern California Web site. I should have cited that source but did not — bad reporting on my part. Mea culpa.

— RDT

[Rip Rense]

This is hilarious. I don't find myself often in the position of defending the L.A. Times, but reporter David Ng did exactly what a reporter is supposed to do: find the most interesting, newsworthy portion of an interview, and lead with it. This is called "journalism." If you are head of the Democratic National Committee, and you do a lengthy interview about how much you love politics, but happen to drop in a sentence about how you are not going to support Obama, you don't lead with the stuff about loving politics! It looks fairly clear that Watson and Treleaven, who are to be commended for their brave candor in criticizing this "Ring," were pressured to make this statement.