Lately, it seems like there’s a lot of negative press coming out of New York, directed at those traveling right now.

A few days ago I wrote a response to Erin Griffith’s New York Times article “Digital Nomads Did Not Prepare for This” which is a hit piece on remote workers traveling during the pandemic (click here to read my reaction).

It reminded me of another travel article from New York Magazine that I’ve been waiting for to be published. I went online and found it.

A couple of weeks ago, Anna Silman wrote a piece for The Cut (a segment of New York Magazine) titled “Shameless on Vacation.”  While most people don’t recognize The Cut as hard-hitting journalism, it has a significant readership.

This article is about travel during the pandemic. The travelers she featured appeared to be privileged, entitled, and reckless. One of them even got infected with COVID while in Mexico, came back to the US, and gave it to her friend.

Reading this article upset me, not because of the careless attitudes of those featured, but because it does not represent a complete picture of reality. This article is totally biased.

How do I know it’s biased?

Because I was interviewed for this article.

The Backstory

Back in September, while I was living in Croatia, the author Anna Silman approached one of the travel forums that I am a member of. She asked to interview people who were traveling during that time, and wanted to know about their experiences traveling during the pandemic. It was also noted that the more outrageous and colorful the story, the better.

I was excited and happy to share my boots-on-the-ground experience with someone who had such a large media platform, so I volunteered for an interview. I also thought I had an interesting backstory with my recent exit from corporate America to travel the world.  I also thought she might be interested in our frustrations in getting COVID-19 testing done and traveling from Serbia to Croatia.

The Interview

Before the interview, I “Googled” Ms. Silman and read some of her previous articles, Tweets, etc.  I saw she wrote extensively on the many fears and tragedies of the COVID-19 pandemic. I suspected my travel experience would not fit her narrative but I wanted to share my voice and perspective anyways.

After exchanging pleasantries, she asked about quoting me and using my real name.  I didn’t have anything to hide so I happily agreed.

The first few minutes of the interview went as expected. As previously mentioned, she was just looking to understand what it’s like traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.  She was interested in hearing how travel logistics were working and what has been open and closed.

And then the interview changed tone.

She started asking questions about my thoughts on the risks of COVID and if I had any fears when traveling. Many of her questions (or the way she asked them) felt like she was fishing for something salacious or controversial to make me look selfish, uneducated, or irresponsible.

In my opinion, the questions were either “leading” or they were ‘”gotcha”-type questions. She was looking for me to say something damning so she could use my statement to project onto ALL other travelers. Here are some of the actual questions she asked:

• Weren’t you afraid of unknowingly carrying the virus to foreign countries?
• How would you feel if you unknowingly spread the virus?
• What would it take for you to end your travels early?
• Would you encourage others to travel right now?
• Aren’t you concerned about bringing the virus to a foreign country that has not been exposed to the virus yet?
• Do you ever think about the risks of spreading the virus to the elderly or high-risk people?

I responded to all of her questions thoughtfully and honestly, yet unsure how she might spin my words or print them out of context.

Regardless, I sent a follow-up email the next morning to thank her for letting me share my thoughts and experience and that I’m available if she needs anything else.

I never heard from her again.

While I personally view this as rude and unprofessional, I assume her lack of response was because my travel experience did not fit her narrative and the story she was trying to tell.

Journalism is Dead

My story and experience didn’t make “The Cut!” (pun intended). She obviously cherry-picked the most absurd people to include in this article and left out the rest.

I naively thought a journalist from a huge media platform like New York Magazine would be interested in the complete reality of what is happening today.  Ms. Silman did not demonstrate journalistic qualities with this article.

This is my firsthand experience with today’s “journalism,” and it’s disturbing.

Ms. Silman is not telling the truth to her readers by way of omission.

Her article does not share the complete picture. There are millions of people traveling right now, but she decided to include only the worst examples for her article.

How do I know?  Because I spent thirty minutes talking with her and sharing my travel experiences!

The author definitely knows not everyone thinks or acts like those she described in the article.  She made the decision to leave out experiences and perspectives like mine.

This is a shame because I know many kind, courteous, and respectful people traveling right now.  It’s too bad their stories don’t get any attention in the media these days.

It also bothers me how articles like this attempt to paint all travelers with a broad and false brush.  This is unfair. Unfortunately, based on the article’s comments, people are believing it.

Ms. Silman can choose the narrative she wants to convey. She is entitled to share her opinions, but recognize that this article is not journalism.

It’s an opinion piece. This article is essentially a blog post.

I realized she is no more of a “journalist” than I am. We’re both bloggers, she just has a bigger platform from which to share her thoughts.

Class Warfare

Another thing that bothers me about this article is it’s subtle use of class warfare.

The article makes it seem like the only people that are traveling right now are “young and privileged.” According to her, “most of the travelers I spoke with” are those with “high salaries” and have the resources to “take private cars to their private villas…”

This does NOT describe me or anyone I met while traveling the past several months. There are literally millions of people traveling right now. The one’s I’ve met are either Europeans traveling on holiday or experienced digital nomads that have figured out how to do their job remotely while traveling.

I’m disappointed by such misleading suggestions which are only meant to make readers hate all people who are traveling right now.

It’s unfair to characterize all travelers as coming from the upper classes. From my personal experience it’s simply not true. The last thing we need in our world is more division.

Travel Shaming

When I was interviewed by Ms. Silman, I made it perfectly clear how we are handling travel.  I told her, in no uncertain terms, that we are following every rule and regulations set forth by all the airlines, airports, countries, and private businesses.  We are not undermining, skirting, or breaking any rules while we travel.

You wouldn’t know, from reading her article, that there were people like me traveling right now.

There’s a reason the author only includes the most absurd examples (especially the alleged person referred to as ‘Kira’)…

She is trying to shame everyone traveling right now by making her readers believe we are all irresponsible, unintelligent, and selfish.

I have a very easy-going, non-judgmental, and happy-go-lucky way about me.  However, I get incredibly passionate when I feel like someone is trying to be a bully or take advantage of some people for their own benefit.

I’m fed up with the travel shaming that so many people are doing these days.  Nobody is reporting on the thousands of careful and responsible travelers who are taking precautions and following all the rules.

I have no guilt or shame over traveling.  When I travel to a country, I adhere to all the rules set forth by that country. Those rules are made by people who presumably know a lot more than I do about what is appropriate in their country.

My Conclusion

I hope my response in this post has corrected some of the half-truths conveyed in this article.

I also hope my personal, firsthand experience has raised an awareness to the media bias that exists today.

I find it inappropriate and irresponsible for someone to blatantly spread misinformation.  She is trying to insult and project the “sins of a few” onto the larger sector of travelers who are traveling responsibly right now.

I think many of us are coming to recognize the bias in the media, but I want to emphasize that we all need to be on high-alert with everything we read.  Also, it’s important to focus on sources with real, firsthand experience or knowledge. Leverage your common sense and flex your critical thinking skills.

I encourage our media to focus on reporting the complete truth and not just a slanted version that fits someone’s narrative.