Consult a Librarian

UPDATE: Yesterday, on October 31, 2011, Mr. Goodman from the New York Times contacted me for some clarifications. I can' t be certain whether he contacted me because of this entry or not, but it is clear there are always people who keep track of where they are popping up in the blogosphere. Maybe Mr. Goodman is one such a person!

On Friday I got a little bit of a surprise, however it was a pleasant one. As many of you who read my blog, you are aware that it appears on a site called Ukraine Business Online, however, on Friday I was told that somehow some of my earlier commentary made it as far as the New York Times, well at least a blog on the NYT website. However pleasant it was I do have a few point I would like to make to media owners, your writers have to get their facts straight!

It was a pleasant surprise when I read some of the words of NYT writer J. David Goodman when he wrote on his blog "For William Pawlowsky, a Ukranian former journalist living in Canada, the plagiarism charges were not surprising. “Does anyone honestly think that Ukraine’s incumbent president is capable of putting pen to paper, and actually writing? Let alone an entire book?”

This piece was in regard to President Yanukovych's "book" entitled "Opportunity Ukraine" Which as if you are unaware, also appeared on Ukraine Business Online to which he refers.

While Mr. Goodman or his spell checker can't spell "Ukrainian" he also somehow didn't quite present me correctly. I am not a Ukrainian citizen but a Canadian who lived many years in Ukraine there is a difference. Though my understanding of Ukraine is much better than any average Canadian, American or Brit, and probably most of those who work in their analytical departments of their respective foreign ministries. But that is his problem and not not mine, I know who I am and what I stand for. As a professional, I consider that he consult the information specialists and librarians that work at the NYT, as opposed to trying to interpret my public profile on LinkedIn. While I have a public profile, I also have been involved professionally in my field for many years. Too many journalists, public writers and many others are still very illiterate when it comes to doing online research or even paying attention to minute details. Their problem is that they are too full of themselves, and what they think that can do, because they really have no understanding of information.

For my piece to draw his attention is a pleasure. The fact that so many of my colleagues in Ukraine considered me a journalist while I am by training an information specialist/librarian is also something that was always pleasure and somewhat of an honour, given what conditions many had to work under. However, the getting facts right and spelling right clearly shows to me that while the NYT is a great paper, its standards are slipping.

I suggest that all management of major news outlets use their library staff appropriately. You folks out there that think you can research you are gravely mistaken! And until you start doing things right and respect fellow professionals in other professions, you will make both misleading and incorrect mistakes.

Vasyl Pawlowsky Independent Consultant
B.A.; M.A.; M.L.I.S.

Professionalism - or lack thereof - reporting on musical events

Monday night was probably the musical highlight in Kyiv this fall with the first of two concerts of Christina Augilera, and while I didn't attend with the cheapest ticket at Palats Sportu being 500 UAH, for the Monday night show, and starting at 1,000 UAH for the second show at Paltats Ukraina, a good friend of mine was invited through some of his musician and promoter contacts to the show on Monday night.

Last week I was sitting around and this friend says to me, "What is wrong with journalists, they are all over Augilera's musicians about rehearsals?" I thought about it for a second and replied, "I see where you are coming from, most musicians at this level are pretty damn tight and how many shows are they doing on this tour?" While he didn't give me an exact number he mentioned that he had read something about the fact that musicians who will be performing on Monday and Tuesday were already in Kyiv.

After a little digging I found one article which may have sparked Levytsky's initial statement, and it really didn't surprise me. It was an article in one of Akmetov's tabloid, Sehodnia on October 16, with the title: Музыканты Агилеры заскучали в столице: Музыканты Кристины Агилеры уже гуляют по Киеву и жалуются на отсутствие экскурсий. In short, Aguilera's musicians are bored in the capital: They are rambling around Kyiv and are complaining for the lack of excursions.

When I read the article, it truly lacked any substance. Well what would one expect, after all it is a tabloid!

But had the journalist done any digging they would have understood who they were speaking to. According to Modern Drummer magazine Teddy Campbell "has become one of the hardest-working drummers in the business", this is not just a musician but a real professional musician.

Even if I read tabloids, which I don't, except when checking things out like this, maybe as a plebe I may be interested in something like not only the concerts which Aguilera would be performing in Kyiv, but about the musicians accompanying her. An interview with Teddy Campbell regarding his role as a drummer working with such a scandalous singer as Aguilera, as the press has labeled her, may have presented another aspect of music, which so many people here are really out to lunch on. Campbell has recorded with the likes of Al Jarreau, Rod Stewart, Sisqo, Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson Jr., and Kelly Clarkson, and was the musical director for 98 Degrees and Britney Spears when they were at the peak of their careers, and this is just a small part of his accomplishments.

One thing I have found with many young musicians in this country, in particular those who are backing up a vocalist, they either have a lack of understanding of their role as musicians, or their egos are so big that they always detract from the main act and try to draw attention to themselves. If journalists here who deal with music, could just focus on some of the little things and being prepared before interview top professional when they arrive in Kyiv, maybe some of their knowledge might just filter down to the young musicians who are still trying to find their way in this still very immature industry, see Andriy Antonenko aka Riffmaster's comments in Clockwork punk - played with heart and soul.

I doubt that any of the professional music press here even thought of getting an interview with either Campbell or any of the other nineteen musicians accompanying Aguilera, if they did I will be pleasantly surprised, and this surprise will probably come some time in the distant future.