“We should also appreciate David Carr who did a great job of asking intelligent questions, very calm and humorous, and covering what we all wanted to know and balancing everyone.”
This was the email, from the friend who had been with me, which awaited me on February 12th when I finally arrived home from the Times Talk at the New School that Carr (left foreground) had moderated that evening. The program had given us the unique experience of listening to Edward Snowden (on screen via live video from Moscow), reminisce with Laura Poitras (maker of the documentary on his original revelations about the NSA, “Citizen Four,” which won the Oscar for Best Documentary, and is playing at the IFC on Sixth Avenue), and Glenn Greenwald (the participating journalist) about their first meetings in Hong Kong, and some of the ordeals that followed.
What my friend did not yet know—but what I had learned on my way home—was that, back at the Times, David Carr had died an hour later.
For those of us who only knew him from his lively New York Times commentaries on show biz and the media, the outpouring from his colleagues (see below) left us even sadder—that we hadn’t had a chance to know him personally—and even more grateful that we had been there that night.
The video of the Times Talk program can be seen on http://timestalks.com/laura-poitras-glenn-greenwald-edward-snowden.html
Excerpts from his colleagues’ quotes :
“…. His friends at the Times and beyond will remember him as a unique human being – full of life and energy, funny, loyal and lovable, An irreplaceable talent….” Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jnr.
“… a remarkable and funny man who was one of the leaders of our newsroom. … his undying passion for journalism and for truth will be missed…” Dean Baquet, the Times Executive Editor.
“ ….His prose was a marvel of wry Midwestern plainness, sprinkled with phrases his colleagues will only ever think of as Carrisms ….” A.O.Scott, Times movie critic.
