Don't know the full story but some Hope Of The States fan sent them a snotty email and got this back from the 'chief sub editor'. I like the bit where he says they got the Kaiser Chiefs signed.

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God almighty: I very rarely reply to criticism that falls into the NME
inbox but as i'm still here at 10.20 at night working for thie "big
pile of wank", your letter touched something of a raw nerve. Firstly can I
reassure you that you are free to buy another magazine with a slightly
less glib attitude. I personallly recommend 'Plan B' or 'Loose Lips
Sink Ships'. Those 6,000-word Yo La Tengo retrospectives should be right
up your street.

Now, onto your specific criticisms of NME....

Joy Division: of course we all knew it was the anniversary of his
death. That's why we decided to mark it, rather than ignore it. (How mich
space did it get in 'Kerrang!', for example?) In my opinion there was
nothing disrespectful about the 'Don't Tear Them Apart' line, the posters
look fucking great, and the feature was a rounded celebration of the
man for a young audience who perhaps haven't the
time/patience/inclination to listen to 'closer', let alone read 'Touching From A Distance'.
Maybe they willl now. As for it being a "big memorial" in Manchester,
don't kid yourself. Who else is covering his story in this depth, 25 years
on?

We don't just jack off over shite bands that have met Pete Doherty.
Otherwise The Paddingtons/Rakes/Wolfman etc would be all over our pages
every week. As would Hope Of Ther States, who have only things words to
say about The Libertines. Pick it up next week: we're jacking off over
Saul Williams, Arctic Monkeys, Dungen, The Magic Numbers and - yes - The
Arcade Fire. Not sure if Pete gets a mention at all.

As for us not supporting unsigned bands, there's an unsigned special in
Messageboard next week, too. Alternatively: ask the Kaisers Chiefs. We
played their demo in the office, Tim wrote about it and they got
signed. And rhat is a copper-bottomed fact, my friend,

I could go on in great length, but I'm falling asleep at my machine
having just put the finishing touches to the 50 Greatest Cover Versions Of
All-Time (conplete with a suitably tactful Jeff Buckley retrospective
to mark the eighth anniveersary of his death, too), Check it out next
week: we've pulled out artwork for every single one. Trust me: you really
have no idea how long such "short, shite features" actually take to
execute.

Still, keep reading,

Martin, chief sub-editor

PS/Feel free to post this on the HOTS messageboard too. I fought tooth
and nail to get that band squeezed onto the bottom of my Starsailor
review three years ago, coining the phrase "potentially the most
challenging British band since Radiohead" in the process, which did them no harm
at all. I wish I hadn't bothered now!

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NME writers are human too, you know. ;-)

see the whole thread here (if you can be arsed)