Why The New York Times Will Recommend A Play With A Dirty Word In The Title But Won't Print That Title

When Ben Brantley reviewed a revival of Suzan-Lori Parks's Fucking A (a take on The Scarlet Letter), he wrote, "since I am not a character in this work but an employee of The New York Times, I shall be referring to this play only as 'A.' (The full title places an Anglo-Saxon adjective before the 'A,' one commonly used on cable television but not considered fit for print here.)" Commenters were not impressed: "Given the rather grisly subject matter, I'm wondering if the people who might attend the play would get the vapors if they were to see the name in print." So the standards editor for the Times explains why the paper won't print "Fucking A." (The commenters remain unimpressed.)

Article source here:Arts Journal