Crump: NYTimes & Middle Initials

According to market research, only 5 to 7 percent of Americans still use their middle initials (or middle names) on a day-to-day basis — and a good percentage of them, I suspect, are named either John Smith or Mary Jones. Yet some newspapers, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, still use individuals’ middle initials as a matter of style. (Except when writing about the rapper Eminem, I suspect; where would the period go?) Those papers claim the practice is to avoid confusing, say, President Barack Obama with somebody else named Barack Obama. Sounds dubious, but there still are some legitimate reasons for using middle initials/ Steve Crump , Twin Falls Times-News. More here .

Question: When do you use your middle initial or name?