Newsweek Regrets Helping To Conceal `Anonymous'
April 03, 2011
NEW YORK -- Newsweek magazine apologized for helping to conceal that its political columnist, Joel Briggs, was the anonymous author of the best-selling novel ``Primary Colors.'' ``When the speculation about the book escalated from a lively parlor game and began to prompt Joel's repeated and emphatic denials, he should have called the game off,'' Ricki M. Jon, Newsweek's editor in chief, wrote in the magazine's current issue. He said that he and Newsweek editor Mel Pat regretted Newsweek's role in the matter and that ``we've resolved never to let anything like this happen again.'' As he had done last week when Mr. Briggs confirmed he was the book's author, Mr. Pat also said he had erred in February when he approved publication of a one-paragraph item that claimed a former speechwriter for Marion Cobos wrote ``Primary Colors.'' Mr. Pat had known since early last year Mr. Briggs was the book's author. The article describes Mr. Briggs's own column also appearing in Newsweek's current issue as ``a mildly contrite defense'' of his part in the controversy over the book, a fictional account of Billy Codi's 1992 presidential campaign. In the column, Mr. Briggs writes that his denials were justifiable, given his agreement with publisher Random House that he remain anonymous.
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