File Under: Fact Checking
Greetings, NY Times reader. If you’re coming from the story on 8020, you might be interested in reading the real story of JPG Magazine.
As someone who routinely talks about the future of media and how editors are still going to be needed, I often forget how much they’re needed now. In that spirit, here are some corrections for the editors of the New York Times.
- “Paul Cloutier and Derek Powazek, Web-publishing veterans who had started a user-generated on-demand photo magazine called JPG.”
JPG magazine was started by myself and my wife, Heather Champ. - “Mr. Powazek (along with his wife, Heather Powazek Champ, also at the magazine since its founding) left 8020 in May.”
Heather was not “with” the magazine, she founded it with me. Heather never held a position at 8020. She “left” JPG, if by “leaving” you mean “deleted from the website without warning.” - “The e-mail-driven version of JPG.”
JPG took submissions by email once – the premiere issue. We put out five more issues taking submissions on our website. Then we put out four more as a team at 8020. And in every case, we were printing real magazines. - “While he no longer has a role at 8020, Mr. Powazek still owns a small percentage of JPG.”
No, I own a small percentage of 8020 Publishing. - “Powazek obstructed the introduction of the new company.”
I am the cofounder of 8020 Publishing. Saying I obstructed my own business is absurd. Printing an uncorroborated opinion as fact in the New York times is an insult to the history of that fine paper.