Dear NYT,
I understand that times are hard and you can't afford to pay reporters what
you used to. Changing to a paid subscription on the Internet will cost you
lots of readers. I certainly will be reading the WaPo from now on. I can see
how you have to drum up a readership. You have bills to pay. However, your
article "Black-Market Trinkets From Space" crosses the line into
rabble-rousing yellow journalism at its worst. The story was written by a
man that as far as I can tell has never previously typed a word on the
subject of meteoritics. To say this article was poorly researched would be
an understatement of astronomical proportions. Does Ralph P. Harvey present
a shred of evidence to back up his outrageous claims about the existence of
a meteorite black market? The total monies that change hands in the 99.99%
of the meteorite market that is legal is a pittance compared to the prices
commanded by fine art, jewelry and rare coins. One good Picasso is worth
many times more than all the meteorites legally traded in a year.
While it's true that a handful of countries frown upon the exportation of
meteorites without the proper paperwork, in the vast majorities of
countries, the practice is legal. The market for meteorites is miniscule,
aimed at a tiny tight-knit group of collectors, curators and scientists.
Hardly enough money there to support a real black market, like the ones for
drugs and weapons.
Countries that have enacted restrictive meteorite laws like Australia have
seen the supply of native Australian meteorites found dwindle down to almost
nothing. It's a lose, lose situation. You're going to have to show me some
evidence for the existence of well-organized Aussie meteorite smuggling
rings. And who exactly would be buying these hot rocks anyway? Are they
being fenced in pawn shops around the world? Pssst!! Hey buddy!! I got a
sexy carbonaceous chondrite you've got to see. The whole idea of a meteorite
black market is a ridiculous fantasy with no basis in fact whatsoever.
The main problem with the article is its faulty premise. The writer confuses
the rumors of the alleged illegality of the Egyptian Gebel Kamil fall with
the perfectly legal trade in North West African meteorites. A quick reading
of the abstruse Egyptian export laws reveal nothing against meteorites at
the time Gebel Kamil was first collected. The legal status of Gebel Kamil
has nothing to do with the NWA meteorite trade. You could learn this with 10
minutes of Googling.
This story represents the death rattle of a once proud journalistic
institution. It reeks of desperation. It reminds me of how the Chicago
Tribune switched over to a semi-tabloid format in a desperate bid for a
share of the dwindling readership market. I can remember the day that
happened. I was reading the paper one day and I kept thinking, "what is all
this crap?" Where's the serious journalism? It's at a place called the
"internets" by one much wiser than me. The day of the newpaper paradigm of
news dissemination is over. Another one bites the dust.
---------------------------
Phil Whitmer
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