Observer » Deborah Kolben

Former Daily News Reporter Claims Bias Toward Atlantic Yards

Azi Paybarah — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:26:00 -0400

Daily News Editor in Chief Martin Dunn, who made an appearance this morning with Michael Bloomberg to promote a free financial services hotline for New Yorkers, has a small cameo in a new documentary about media bias and the Atlantic Yards project.

In a segment of the Independent Film Channel series Media Project, former Daily News reporter Deborah Kolben says she was barred from writing about Atlantic Yards after the the developers complained about her coverage.

Kolben makes her claim around the 4:21 mark, prompting one of the movie’s narrators to confront Dunn outside his home.

“I don’t even know who you’re talking about,” Dunn says. When pressed, he adds, “You obviously are not an editor, right? I run a newspaper. I can do what I like.”

Norman Oder has more on Kolben and Atlantic Yards.

Deborah Kolben Out at Voice; 11th Woman to Leave Since March (UPDATE)

Leon Neyfakh — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:50:50 -0400

Village Voice editor Tony Ortega has fired his number two, managing editor Deborah Kolben. Ms. Kolben, who started at the Voice last February mere days before then-editor David Blum was fired, is the eleventh woman to leave the newspaper since Mr. Ortega took over in March.

Here's the full list:

Deanna Martin, deputy copy chief (quit Tuesday)
Tricia Romano, reporter (reported to have quit last Friday; sources tell The Observer she was fired)
Keisha Franklin, associate listings editor (quit late last week)
Adamma Ince, deputy managing editor (quit last Thursday)
Maggie Shnayerson, spokeswoman (quit Sept. 12)
Laura Conaway, executive director (fired in August)
Mara Altman, reporter (fired in June)
Kristen Lombardi, reporter (fired in May)
Keach Hagey, media reporter (fired in May)
Emma Span, sports columnist (fired in March)

Ms. Kolben's departure leaves just one woman at the top of the masthead, film editor Allison Benedikt.

Other women still working at the Voice include reporters Lynn Yaeger, Chloé Hilliard, and Maria Luisa Tucker; photo editor Staci Schwartz; listings editors Angela Ashman, and Elisabeth Thompson; web editors Nina Lalli and Camille Dodero; and Mr. Ortega's assistant, Lori Payne.

UPDATE: Sources say associate listings editor Keisha Franklin gave notice last week, right after Ms. Ince did.

[em]Voice[/em] Hires New Managing Editor; More [em]Sun[/em] Poaching!

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:36:22 -0400

The Village Voice has just named Deborah Kolben, formerly the city editor of the New York Sun, as the paper's managing editor.

Since David Blum, ex-Sun television critic, took over as the Voice's editor-in-chief, there have been several defections from the conservative daily to the lefty weekly. Ms. Kolben now joins Sun alumni Nathan Lee (film critic) and Maggie Shnayerson (PR Director) over at Cooper Square.

Full release after the jump.

New York, NY (February 26, 2007) - The Village Voice is pleased to announce that Deborah Kolben will join the newspaper as managing editor this April.

Most recently, Kolben was the city editor of the New York Sun. Prior to that, she was the education reporter for the Sun as well as a reporter for the New York Daily News and The Brooklyn Papers. She has written for the Jerusalem Report, the Guardian and the Financial Times.

"I grew up in New York reading the Voice and I'm looking forward to being a part of a newspaper that plays such a vital role for so many in New York and elsewhere," Kolben said.

Kolben is the winner of two National Newspaper Association awards for investigative reporting and has been honored for her feature writing.

"Deborah Kolben is a talented and creative editor whose dedication to news and narrative made her indispensable to the New York Sun's distinguished local coverage," said David Blum, editor-in-chief of the Village Voice. "I'm thrilled to welcome her to the Voice."

A Brooklyn resident and a native New Yorker, Kolben is a graduate of both the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University.

About the Village Voice: Founded in 1955, the Village Voice is the recipient of three Pulitzer prizes and scores of awards for reporting and criticism. In addition to publishing the nation's largest weekly newspaper with a circulation of 250,000 and a readership of nearly 1.5 million. The Voice also publishes a daily Web site with 1 million monthly unique users.