Entertainment
‘New York Times’ TV Critic Alessandra Stanley Defends Her Shonda Rhimes Article
This Feb. 1, 2013 file photo shows, from left, actors Tony Goldwyn, and Kerry Washington from the ABC series “Scandal,” with series creator Shonda Rhimes at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles. The series is one of three by Shonda Rhimes that will air on Thursdays. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, FIle)
(USA Today) – In the latest update to the controversy surrounding The New York Times‘ “angry black woman” piece about ABC showrunner Shonda Rhimes, the author of that article is defending herself against a deafening chorus of criticism.
TV critic Alessandra Stanley, in a response to public editor Margaret Sullivan’s investigation of how the piece was edited, says her critique of Rhimes’ How to Get Away with Murder was meant to praise, not insult.
In the review, I referenced a painful and insidious stereotype solely in order to praise Ms. Rhimes and her shows for traveling so far from it. If making that connection between the two offended people, I feel bad about that. But I think that a full reading allows for a different takeaway than the loudest critics took.
