Today’s New York Times featured a full page ad paid for by the National Enquirer in which the Enquirer promised to pay a $45,000 annual grant for a new American play. The authors who receive the grants will be chosen by a committee of leading playwrights.
What happened was that the Enquirer published an article that purported to be an exclusive interview with David Bar Katz, a close friend of the recently deceased actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The “interview” featured lurid tales of drug use. The problem was that the interview was bogus.
Mr. Katz sued the Enquirer, but instead of asking for damages, he asked for the annual award for playwrights, and the Enquirer agreed. The settlement means that Mr. Katz is vindicated, the Enquirer perhaps learned a lesson, and every year an American author will get $45,000. Thank you, Mr. Katz.
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