Shrink Rapped: NYT Notices Slater Flare-Up

The New York Times picks up on the controversies surrounding Lauren Slater's Opening Skinner's Box, but the article mostly follows the lead of an earlier report from The Times of London (cited in the text), with typical NYT reserve. For example, the sordid detail they choose to discuss in the disputed interview between Slater and Elizabeth Loftus is whether Slater asked for Loftus' bra size or Loftus told it freely, not whether somebody walked up to them and called Loftus a "whore."

Their major new angle is Slater's renewed defensive, but she doesn't really give them that much to go on other than suggesting people are vindictively picking through her book for mistakes and getting a colleague to make irrelevant observations about mental health professionals. Meanwhile, her publisher suggests the existence of "an organized effort to undermine Lauren Slater's engaging new trade book," which leaves me glad of heart, knowing that even in the midst of conspiracy mongering, we can count on the marketing people to get their language in. Too bad they couldn't do anything about the horrible photo the Times chose to run.

I was a bit surprised, to be honest, that Slater's recent appearance in the comments section of this website wasn't mentioned, since I notified the Times about it last week. It would seem to me that there's some element of a story to be found in an author embroiled in controversy--and, let's not forget, facing the threat of a libel suit--going online to defend herself. (If you missed that exchange, just click on the Lauren Slater link off to the right.) But I guess that tidbit can wait for the next reporter to come along...