Raphie

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 07:57:54 -0500

Hi Tom, I understand your concerns regarding veracity and responsibility with repect to the Tyme interview. Indeed the stories Tyme tells are not the typical Gothamist fare and it is precisely because of the disturbing nature of what he had to say that we wanted to publish his story. Typically, any key information contained within the Gothamist interviews is independently verifiable through multiple sources since the figures tend to be prominent. Even so, I'm sure you've noticed how frequently we insert background links to verify claims of interviewees. In terms of Tyme's specific prison experiences, however, we have no practical way of verifying that information given our limited resources. We had considered putting in a disclaimer, but ultimately decided against it; the point being that this is Tyme's story and merits the same respect that we give a Hal Hartley, Sam Seder, Clay Shirky, Ida Dupont (she is a criminal justice professor we interviewed) or other Gothamists when they tell anecdotes about their lives. That said, we did independently confirm that Tyme indeed was an inmate at Attica on drug-related charges and for Manslaughter 2. While we will not reveal Tyme's given name, that information is available at the Inmate Population Information Search Website (http://nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us/kinqw00) Also, please note that this interview, contrary to most Gothamist interviews, was conducted in person (Tyme has no telephone or Internet Acess). During the Interview, I accompanied Tyme to his Grandmother's apartment in a project and saw pictures of his children. I saw the scars left behind from three bullet wounds on his legs and thigh, as well as three scars on his back (allegedly from knife wounds) and one on his hand. I also saw dated poetry re: jail experiences. Whether Tyme has engaged in a bit of poetic license in describing the circumstances surrounding his time in jail is not for me to decide -- I'm sure many interviewees have stretched the truth to some degree -- but I can certainly vouch as to the general outlines of his life and to the fact that he said that which he is purported to have said in the Interview. As for Murder 2 and the concept of "depraved indifference", here is a link explaining the concept: http://www6.law.com/lawcom/displayid.cfm?statename=NY&docnum=206070&table=news&flag=full Best Regards, Raphie

Tom

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 00:05:10 -0500

Is there any kind of fact checking going on to verify the information in these interviews, or are they published without background research? What is there to reassure readers that this is not a fiction when there seems to be no attempt by the interviewer or editors to verify any of the factual or legal statements made in the interview? Asking someone to express their opinion on how they like their job is one thing, but having someone express legal and historical information without verifying it indepdendently prior to publication seems rather irresponsible.

Gothamist: "Tyme," Writer, former inmate Attica Penitentiary

Raphie

Tom