New York Times lawyers upset at a parody web page (dated “February 30” and satirizing the Times’ correction policy) backed off once a bold-faced disclaimer was added. (Daniel Okrent, nytimes.com, Mar. 15 (via Wonkette); “NY Times backs off”, New York Daily News, Mar. 16 (last item)). The disclaimer reads, in part:
The Times now recognizes that this Times Columnist Correction page was, and is, a parody intended to express through satire a dissatisfaction with a policy of The New York Times and was in no way intended to confuse people that it was a legitimate New York Times on the Web page. TND also recognizes The Times lawyers are not known for having a well-developed sense of humor and can be susceptible to “not getting the joke”. Therefore we hereby restate that this is not a legitimate New York Times web page. The Times would never issue corrections of a Times Op-Ed Columnist and any attempt to so construe from this parody of a Times web page will be considered punishable under some such law or another as we see fit.
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