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November 9, 2005
NY Times Gets it Wrong in Randall's Island Article [UPDATE]
I have a Google News alert set up to notify me whenever there's an article about my neighborhood, Spanish Harlem, and today I was alerted to an article in the New York Times that looked interesting. "When a Bridge Divides" tells of the growing gap between the residents of East Harlem and the users of Randall's Island which sits at the confluence of the Harlem and East rivers, otherwise known as Hell's Gate.
I glanced over the article but then took a closer look. The first thing that attracted my attention was the black and white aerial photograph that accompanies the article. I clicked on it to take a closer look and realized that the photo shows two islands. The caption identifies the top one, correctly, as Randall's Island (actually, the article leaves out the apostrophe in the name - another error). The island to the south is Ward's Island.
The problem is that this image is at least 70 years old. Any New Yorker who drives over the bridge knows that the islands are just a single landmass and have been since the they were joined together by landfill in the 1930s. With the availability of resources such as Google Maps, why is the New York Times using a 70 year-old image to accompany this article?
Even if we forgive the Times of this error, there is another major problem with the article. The southern part of this landmass is still officially known as Ward's Island. In fact, the pedestrian bridge which is the subject of the article does not go to Randall's Island at all - it goes to Ward's Island. Not only that but the bridge itself is clearly labelled the Ward's Island Footbridge.
What I want to know is this: did the author of this article, Richard Morgan, actually go to the island to write this article?
UPDATE - The section staff editor responded with the following:
Thanks for your comments on the Nov. 6 City section article on Randalls Island. You are correct that the photograph was outdated; in fact it was taken in 1948. The choice of photograph was unfortunate and I discussed this with our photo editor.On the apostrophes, New York Times style has long been to omit them with Randalls Island and Wards Island. We base that style on official maps from the Department of City Planning.
And on the question of the footbridge, it may indeed be called the Ward’s Island Footbridge. But our article mentioned “a pedestrian bridge at 103rd Street the primary access point to the island for local residents who don’t own cars.’’ So if you want to walk to Randalls Island, that is the bridge you take.
Posted on November 9, 2005 at 9:18 AM
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Comments
using google maps' satellite view, you can also count about 15 baseball diamonds on wards/randalls islands. the article makes it sound like all they play over there is rugby and soccer (the latter of which for some reason is classified as a sport that Latino kids are not interested in). if the kids from east harlem aren't using all these baseball diamonds, isn't that the fault of the EH baseball leagues' administrators?
Posted by: adm at November 6, 2005 10:09 PM
I just read the article about the use of the recreational facilities on Randall's Island and Ward's Island. I took particular interest in the comments made by the director of development and planning,Anne Wilson.Her statement "raising the bridge was a mistake. But every now and then, it happens. It's human error." does not sit well with me. After all, her tital is Director of Development and PLANNING, isn't it? Most of these events take place in the Spring thru Fall (when the pedestrian bridge is down. A one time "MISTAKE" is a forgiveable error. However, "EVERY NOW AND THEN, IT HAPPENS." is not.
I take particlar interest in these islands because I was born and baptized on the Ward's half of the present day combine Islands, back in 1947. Which gives me the distinction of being one of the few true citizens of the Island. It is my understanding that there has not been officially sanctioned births on those islands for the past 40 years.
Although the aerial few photo was of particular interest to me, especialy if it truely was taken in 1948 (the year after me birth there) it was not a good choice for the article, in that the pedestrian bridge in question is not to be seen. The pedestrian bridge was not built until 1951. Steve
Posted by: Steve doorline at April 5, 2006 3:46 AM