Editor Defends Philadelphia Magazine, Calls Andy Reid Interview 'A Collaboration'

Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid and his wife, Tammy, appeared on the cover of Philadelphia Magazine this month and spoke to a writer for the magazine about their sons' struggles with drug addiction.

Philadelphia Magazine has gotten a lot of publicity and has no doubt sold a lot of copies, but it has also faced criticism in journalism circles for allowing the Reids to read the interview and suggest changes prior to publication, a practice that is almost universally frowned upon among journalists. Joe Guckin of Outsports is one of the many journalists who has cried foul.

But in a letter to Jim Romenesko's journalism blog, the editor of Philadelphia Magazine is defending himself and the writer who conducted the interview, Bob Huber:

the interview was a collaboration between Huber and the Reids. It is the Reids' very personal story -- the coverline reads, in fact, "Our Story." This was a unique situation; not a story about the Reids so much as them telling their story, in just shy of 4,000 words. I wanted it to fully reflect the story that was in their hearts; to that end, we showed them the transcript without giving them control. Any issues they had would be discussed as part of a back and forth with me. They had only a few minor word alterations, which I was happy to make.

That's a fine explanation, but the fact remains that most magazines would not have agreed to give the Reids a look at the transcript and an opportunity to make even "a few minor word alterations." Philadelphia Magazine may have gotten a great scoop, but it didn't practice great journalism.