The New York Times on Thursday confirmed that David Carr, writer of the paper’s Media Equation column, died in the office at the age of 58. He was also author of the drug addiction memoir “The Night of the Gun,” published in 2008.
David Carr, Media Equation Columnist for The Times, Is Dead at 58 http://t.co/dHMSQYrT2R
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 13, 2015
Can we please restart this week in media news? Too much awful.
— Dianna Heitz (@diannaheitz) February 13, 2015
Sadly, I can confirm NYT media critic David Carr (@carr2n) has died. A terrible stretch for journalists & those who care about journalism.
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) February 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/joshgreenman/status/566079137727909889
So how does BuzzFeed fit into the story? Many seemed to think the site was a little too anxious to be first with the news of Carr’s death.
BREAKING: New York Times’ David Carr Reportedly Dies At 58 http://t.co/YR4pHDR3Gz pic.twitter.com/ILP6OjO05t
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 13, 2015
.@BuzzFeedNews No one should ever have the headline "reportedly dies." Confirm that shit first, please.
— Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) February 13, 2015
@AntDeRosa yeah, that was… oh boy
— Sergio Hernandez (@cerealcommas) February 13, 2015
@AntDeRosa That was my reaction, too.
— Dan Lewis (@DanDotLewis) February 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/EmilyDreyfuss/status/566077261770928128
@AntDeRosa “someone tweeted something which we haven’t been able to confirm, but here it is, presented as fact—FIRST!!!”
— Sergio Hernandez (@cerealcommas) February 13, 2015
@AntDeRosa yeah not good form.
— Neal Mann (@fieldproducer) February 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/abrahamjoseph/status/566077452947292161
https://twitter.com/cjbramble/status/566077583159476224
No amount of clicks worth handling something this way. RT @AntDeRosa: Are you fucking kidding me @buzzfeed?
— Staci D Kramer (@sdkstl) February 13, 2015
@sdkstl @antderosa yeah, that's some bullshit @BuzzFeed & @Gawker :
— Ted Han ★ (@knowtheory) February 13, 2015
However, Claudia Koerner, the reporter who wrote of Carr’s death for BuzzFeed, had confirmed the news with the Times.
@ScottNeumyer @adambvary @BuzzFeedNews Times staffers confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
— Claudia Koerner (@ClaudiaKoerner) February 13, 2015
@ScottNeumyer i mean, i’d hope my journalism is solid in reporting the death of a journalist i greatly admired.
— Claudia Koerner (@ClaudiaKoerner) February 13, 2015
To be fair to BuzzFeed, the news was out there, just before the higher-ups at the Times had assumed it would be.
After tweeting that David Carr had died, NYT editor asks another editor to remove tweet pic.twitter.com/nuVQl9EL4d
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) February 13, 2015
Shocked staffers found the terrible news difficult to keep to themselves.
https://twitter.com/Boothacus/status/566069332011417601
https://twitter.com/Boothacus/status/566073409764085761
https://twitter.com/Boothacus/status/566077350186872832
I had thought this happened much earlier and that it wasn't such fresh news. It is a huge loss to his friends, family and the Times.
— Booth (@Boothacus) February 13, 2015
Once the reality of the news set in, praise for Carr and his work began flooding into social media.
I loved David Carr. Just loved him, in all his crazy, splendid glory. Farewell @carr2n
— Jeffrey Toobin (@JeffreyToobin) February 13, 2015
When I watched @carr2n in Page One as a journalism student, I thought, *damn*, that's the stuff. This is gutting. RIP http://t.co/uorPeL9Y53
— Rebecca Buck (@RebeccaBuck) February 13, 2015
So much has happened at The Times in the last year, but nothing has felt this horrible, a gut punch. We will all miss #DavidCarr.
— (((JonathanWeisman))) (@jonathanweisman) February 13, 2015
Secretly, I think all young reporters wanted to be David Carr someday.
— Laura J. Nelson ? (@laura_nelson) February 13, 2015
David Carr stood out because at a time when the news industry is struggling for its soul, he exemplified both soul and integrity. RIP
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) February 13, 2015
Can't possibly find words. David Carr was brilliant, funny, generous. My heart breaks for his family+his legion of friends. Proud to be 1.
— Bill Carter (@wjcarter) February 13, 2015
Hearts are breaking in newsrooms near and far. God, we will miss our wise, fearless, funny, humble friend, @carr2n. Too sad, too soon.
— Diana B. Henriques (@dianabhenriques) February 13, 2015
Carr gave me my first story, my first job, my first ass-kicking over weak work. Taught journalism, taught being a standup guy. Heartbroken.
— Michael Schaffer (@michaelschaffer) February 13, 2015
@davidfolkenflik @carr2n was not only one of the smartest but also most fun and funny people around. This is a terrible loss. @jasoncherkis
— Joe Conason (@JoeConason) February 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/nickbilton/status/566083796227723264
Advice for young journalists? Try to be like David Carr. Gritty and witty. Insightful and incisive. Never boring.
— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 13, 2015
David Carr. There will be none like him again.
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) February 13, 2015
My God. @carr2n is dead. RIP. http://t.co/VCjTudZ630
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) February 13, 2015
When I was getting people coffee at NYT, David Carr treated me like I had a Pulitzer. In person and in the paper, he was a great.
— Micah Cohen (@micahcohen) February 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/Notteham/status/566086188277047298
#davidcarr worked each story, including his own, relentlessly. He never let a source off the hook, including himself. Dark days for journos.
— Miles O'Brien (@milesobrien) February 13, 2015
"There are no stories in the office." #carrisms
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 13, 2015
David Carr's special air was that of a man who got a second chance at life, and made sure as hell he wasn't going to blow it this time.
— Jacob Weisberg (@jacobwe) February 13, 2015
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