NY Times "Arts, Briefly" Falls Asleep Covering Paris Hilton

I've already observed that the NY Times daily "Arts, Briefly" column on some days seems to be more a repository for tabloid news than cultural news.

Today's installment is a particularly unfortunate case in point, with the two-column lead story devoted to Paris Hilton's firing of her press agent. (He even rates a photo, though not on the web.) In case no one knows who she is, the Times helpfully identifies the convicted drunk driver as "the much-publicized reality-show attraction, recording curiosity and ceaseless club hopper."

What's worse, the whole story changed dramatically at 5:21 a.m., after the Times had gone to bed, but Reuters hadn't:

Jail-bound socialite Paris Hilton has kissed and made up with the veteran publicist...."I represent Paris and I'm proud to,'' Elliot Mintz told Reuters early on Tuesday after a night out with his client...."She's a very strong woman....Obviously, she's taking all of this with great seriousness.''

What a relief! But if the Times were really serious about being a 24/7 news organization on the web, it would update this (and other stories), rather than regarding the version published in its hardcopy as sacrosanct (and, in this case, letting us find a link to the Reuters story elsewhere on its own "Arts" web page).

Oh, and did you know about British rocker Pete Doherty's latest arrest, "this time on suspicion of drug possession"? I do, because I'm a faithful reader of the Times' highbrow cultural coverage.