Cookbook Ghostwriting Article On Rachael Ray, Gwyneth Paltrow Draws Criticism From 'Times' Public Editor

On Monday, Arthur Brisbane, who functions as a watchdog at the New York Times as the paper's Public Editor, waded into the fracas surrounding Julia Moskin's March 14 Dining section story "I Was A Cookbook Ghostwriter." He comes out against Moskin, calling her piece "misleading" -- in agreement with Rachael Ray and Gwyneth Paltrow and in opposition to Moskin and her editors at the Times.

To recap, for those who haven't been following the story: Moskin, a former cookbook writer herself, wrote a piece arguing that most celebrities, including celebrity chefs like Ray, publish cookbooks only with substantial help from writers and assistants. Moskin chose to call these writers "ghostwriters," which offended Ray, Paltrow and several other high-profile figures. They admitted that they'd gotten help compiling glossaries, indices and other peripheral parts of the book, but insisted that they were the main writers of their books.

The issue was complicated by the widely-held belief that any ghostwriters who may or may not have been involved would likely have been subject to strict non-disclosure agreements. So in effect, the people most able to rebut the claims of people like Paltrow and Ray are also those least likely to do so.

But even Moskin and her editors, contacted by Brisbane, admit that the conflict hinges on the definition of "ghostwriter." Brisbane sees this as a problem. And he also argues that the piece was structured so as to cover its bases on the looseness of the definition of the terms at issue -- while covertly implying the most damning sense of ghostwriter. He writes:

Further complicating things, the article rolled right through the section about Ms. Ray before offering up the caveat of a broader definition for ghosting cookbooks. For a reader (and for Ms. Ray), it certainly seemed to be saying, flat-out, she doesn’t write her own books.

At this point, Moskin's editors are sticking by her story.

Comments

[winnifer13]

01:33 AM on 04/17/2013

Anything that annoys Paltrow is fine with me.

[edejan]

01:44 PM on 03/29/2012

I might believe Rachel Ray writes her own recipes/books. She's pretty credible as a self-taught cook. Gwyneth Paltrow - no. She seems to be a complete airhead and kinda dummm.

[Laughert9]

05:19 AM on 03/28/2012

Every celebrity today can write, paint, design a clothing line, create their own fragrance, etc. etc. etc...

[bellabeach]

12:17 PM on 03/28/2012

And most of it is dreadful!!

[Blarg]

04:36 PM on 03/28/2012

It's a mistake to believe most anything that comes out of a celebrity's mouth or the media factories that embrace them.

The idea that some of these birdbrains can write their own books seems especially silly.

[TaxpayingVoter]

01:21 AM on 03/28/2012

All I would care about would be are the recipes any good, but that's just ME.

I mean, hello? Cookbook?

[ProudToBeVeryLiberal]

11:53 PM on 03/27/2012

I've seen some of the celebrity tweets/FB pages/etc. and they are typically loaded with misspells and really dreadful grammar. Then suddenly, when they decide to write a book, they instantly revert to their straight-A student selves.

Yeah, right...

[bellabeach]

12:16 PM on 03/28/2012

Agree and fanned, they think they can do everything from perfume to cookware and most of it is dreadful!

[blizzard2588]

05:49 PM on 03/29/2012

Um it's called an editor. Every author has one...

[ProudToBeVeryLiberal]

05:55 PM on 03/29/2012

Editors suggest editorial choices, they are not supposed to correct spelling and grammar. If you can't write in a decent English, you can't write. Period.

[Capn Scott]

11:37 PM on 03/27/2012

Anybody who believes that celebrities write their own books is dreaming. Most celebrities (and Americans in general), can't even write a decent letter, let alone a book.

[bellabeach]

12:17 PM on 03/28/2012

I had to fan you for that....TRUE!!!

[queenjulia]

09:42 AM on 03/29/2012

Soon, there will be no room on the shelves because of all the celeb products, which may soon end up in the dollar store!

[bikefolder32]

11:27 PM on 03/27/2012

I can only speak to what I know of Paltrow's book - I don't own it myself, but she's credible when it comes to knowing food and she actually does her own cooking. That being said, even the book credits Mario Batali as a co-brainstormer. The book came out of their collaboration on a PBS cooking show they did together that focused on different cuisines in Spain.
I think the content is hers, but the polishing of directions and editing everything down to a "sellable" compendium is the work of Batali and others. I don't think she ever tried to say that it wasn't.

[TaurusRose]

09:32 PM on 03/28/2012

You think Batali has the syntax, rhetoric or grammar to help PALTROW?
Paltrow probably has an A1 education all the way from K thru Kollege.
To me, Batali seems cunning but uneducated.

[bikefolder32]

10:13 PM on 03/28/2012

He knows food, he knows recipes, he knows what sells - there's every reason to believe he was a huge help to her on this project.

[Ina Kamelasa]

11:50 PM on 04/21/2012

Paltrow is a college drop-out. Batali is a college graduate.

[theroundearth]

11:05 PM on 03/27/2012

Did Madonna write her book "Sex" all by herself?

[TaurusRose]

09:32 PM on 03/28/2012

Madonna only had the Sex all by herself.

[Gronkie]

11:02 PM on 03/27/2012

If I was really looking for a good cookbook, why would I buy one from a celebrity? That doesn't make sense to me. My two favorites are The Joy of Cooking and The Gourmet Magazine Cookbook.

[Zontarina]

10:38 PM on 03/27/2012

Unless you camp out in these ladies' kitchens, how will you know who is doing the cooking or the writing? Whether the claims are more or less true or more or less false, I don't think it makes much difference. If you really like the star, you will probably like, and buy, the cookbook, the scent, the doggie coat, the health and beauty advice, the exercise gadget and on and on, brand infinitum...

[Cassandrawept]

10:38 PM on 03/27/2012

Glossaries and indexes are not usually written by authors. They are technical work and are usually done by trained specialists.

Have you ever bought a book where the work was done by computer? You would know, the index would have been useless.

There are editors and indexers and many other people involved in publishing a book.

I re-read the article and it was misleading and made wide open allegations. The NYTimes should not stand on their dignity. When you make a mistake and hurt someone with sloppy statements it's best to retract.

[JohnJohnson123]

10:36 PM on 03/27/2012

They are entertainers.
Foodies laugh at them. But that's not their audience (intended or otherwise).
The truth is that most people can't cook an average meal to save their lives. If R Ray, for example, can get people to try out their kitchens and lay off the McDonalds, then its a good thing.

[Marti386]

10:36 PM on 03/27/2012

When my mom was young, she learned cooking from Julia Child who studied at Le Cordon Bleu. Now you learn from Rachael Ray, who's not even a real chef.

*sigh*

[Scoop511]

11:34 PM on 03/27/2012

when your mom was young, she probably had time to make recipes by someone who studied at Le Cordon Bleu, most women today don't have that luxury and want something simple without a lot of fuss.

[Marti386]

09:58 AM on 03/28/2012

When my mom was young, she worked a full time job and raised two children. She STILL found time to cook REAL meals for us. I find time to cook real meals. The thing is, It REALLY doesn't take that much more effort to cook a real meal. This is just another example of the media "dumbing down" americans.

[Klytemnestra]

11:42 PM on 03/27/2012

When my mom was young, she didn't learn cooking from anyone on TV. She learned from her mother who didn't study at Le Cordon Bleu. She's not a "real chef" but she makes darn good food.

[liberalbug]

10:18 PM on 03/27/2012

I would never buy anything written or ghostwritten by Gwyneth Paltrow, The woman looks like shoe does not eat. On the other hand, Rachel Ray, woman has some sexy curves. Bring on the sammies because I've got a thirty minute meal for her!

[TaurusRose]

09:36 PM on 03/28/2012

Then RR's lack of neck, lack of gravitas and lack of cooking skills should keep you from buying any of her stuff.

[Brian Gorrell]

10:13 PM on 03/27/2012

Rachael is horrible in the kitchen.
Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard.
And Paltrow IS that chalk board.

[JohnJohnson123]

10:37 PM on 03/27/2012

More like the chalk.