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This was not how I dreamed that I might first appear in The New York Times. But since it is, I want to respond to the statements Troy Young and Hearst made in regards to the behavior I and others witnessed. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/business/media/hearst-harassment-troy-young.html
First, I want to add some detail to this account of what I saw:
The Times did not print the full vulgarity of Troy's remark. He didn't say the young staffer should insert her fingers into "herself" (the Times' word). He said she should insert her fingers into her "pussy"—displaying even less respect for and deference to her.
As for this statement Troy made about what he said…
Troy's remark *undermined* the "candid" culture he pointed to as if to say he was embodying that culture. His words ended an open conversation. The person who deserves credit for candor is the woman who started the discussion, not the man who stopped it.
And with regards to these two statements made about Troy's behavior more generally...
Relentlessness does not preclude respectfulness. It reveals a deep deficit of empathy to say that someone cannot work ambitiously without sacrificing the dignity of others. Nothing built on that foundation can exemplify "excellence."
