#Barry Meier’s book excerpt in the New York Times raises eyebrows

Barry Meier got a great plug on Sunday for his new book, “Spooked: The Trump Dossier, Black Cube and the Rise of the Private Spies,” when The New York Times’ business section took an excerpt from it to lead its front page. 

An identifier at the bottom of the article calls Meier a “former reporter” for the Times, and indeed in 2017 he was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning Times team for international reporting. 

The paper, however, neglected to mention that Meier is also the spouse of Times business editor Ellen Pollock. 

That raised eyebrows, since giving such prized placement in the biz section is sure to goose book sales. 

“It’s inappropriate,” said Jon Friedman, a former media columnist at Marketwatch and now an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University. 

“It’s not the scandal of the century, but the reader should have all the information . . . All the Times had to do was give it a one-liner. The fact that they didn’t raises questions.” 

The Times hasn’t bothered to correct the omission since being asked about it. 

“Barry Meier has written for The New York Times as a reporter or contributor for 32 years,” a spokeswoman said. “When he contributes, Ellen Pollock is not involved in the editorial process.”