Hartley Puff Piece

I was disappointed by the lack of editorial discipline you used in the piece by Leonard Bernstein on John Hartley.

In particular, I was taken back by Mr. Bernstein’s reference to Mr. Hartley being a “class clown.” If someone, other than Mr. Bernstein, made that statement it should be attributed. If not, it should have been edited out of the article. Such comments make it difficult for me to know if The Times is reporting or editorializing in what the reader assumes are news articles.

I’ve noticed that several of The Times staff writers prepare articles referred to as analysis. In the future, I would like to see such articles as the Hartley piece be edited more carefully or labeled as opinion/analysis.

ROBERT HARTMAN, Lemon Grove