'One Strib Veteran'?
The Rake, a local alternative newspaper here in the Twin Cities, published an interesting cri de coeur from "one Strib veteran" about the direction of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The anonymous attribution wears thin in the first line of the quote:
As one Strib veteran tells the Mole, "The right-wing blog voices that were bashing the paper a couple of years ago, Hugh Hewitt and the rest, have gotten pretty much everything they wanted. The GOP wanted the Minnesota Poll gone, and now it's gone. They wanted to get rid of people like [editorial board members] Jim Boyd and Susan Albright and their editorial policy, and they've succeeded at that. Now there won't be editorials about the war and global warming; they'll write about local issues like zoning conflicts in Coon Rapids instead. They wanted the paper to hire a conservative columnist, and they got that. From here on out, it looks like the Strib becomes the conservative, suburbs-oriented paper, and the Pioneer Press will become the paper of the city underdogs and the blue voters. They may wind up getting pushed more to the left."
There's only one "Strib veteran" who likes to blame all his woes on Hugh Hewitt and the local conservative buh-loggers. I won't name names since he apparently lacks the testicular fortitude to speak for himself, but he used to have a local radio show in which he railed against people like Hugh and others for consistently outarguing him. He started suggesting that some of the buh-loggers were closet homosexuals, including me, which not only showed his homophobia but also his complete lack of journalistic ethics. That didn't shut us up, but it gave us a few good laughs at his expense.
I also find it hilarious that this "Strib veteran" finds the inclusion of one conservative columnist at the Strib (Katherine Kersten) so powerful that it can completely change the nature of the entire newspaper. This "Strib veteran" apparently understands his complete intellectual failure over the years of his tenure at the newspaper, and that he cannot hope to compete with any alternate viewpoint. This veteran seems to quail at the thought that he may get challenged in his own paper and will have no response except sputtering, which is the only thing he's ever done well.
For the record, the buh-loggers didn't want the Strib to stop editorializing on national and international issues. We just wanted them to be intellectually honest about it. With Jim Boyd refusing to engage Power Line after they embarrassed him on the Strib's own pages, that honesty was obviously not forthcoming. The Strib's new owners apparently understood that, like this "Strib veteran", they couldn't argue their way out of a paper bag on those issues, and instructed them to refrain from embarrassing themselves any further.
The "Strib veteran" doesn't want intellectual honesty, or a balanced perspective on the news. Unfortunately, that explains why the Strib has fewer "veterans" on its staff and fewer veteran subscribers. (via Hugh Hewitt)
UPDATE: My good NARN friend Chad the Elder explains what the Strib's readership wanted, and still don't get:
Personally, what I wanted was a local newspaper that delivered the relevant news in an objective manner, presented a broad range of views in the opinion pages, and showcased interesting material from talented writers. I also did not want my intelligence or values gratuitously insulted on a regular basis.While some of the recent departures from the editorial board are likely to diminish the insult quotient and perhaps bring better balance to the opinion section, I haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe the Strib is going to address the other areas of concern. And even though her title as "Reader's Representative" seemed dubious at times, the fact that Kate Parry is moving into a new role and the Strib has no plans to replace her doesn't inspire confidence that the paper is committed to putting out a quality product.
That the "Strib veteran" appears opposed to all of Chad's reasonable expectations -- and yet remains at the Strib -- I think we can agree that Chad's predictions are probably quite accurate. Well, except for the part about me wearing a dress...
Posted by Ed Morrissey on October 10, 2007 8:32 AM | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)
Comments (18)
Posted by unclesmrgol | October 10, 2007 9:15 AM
Captain,
You might want to remove the word "alternative" here, unless you also want to include it when referring to the Strib.
If "Strib veteran" is right, the circulation of The Rake is higher than the Star-Tribune.
Posted by bennett | October 10, 2007 9:30 AM
"He started suggesting that some of the buh-loggers were closet homosexuals, including me..."
But that would make you so much more interesting. We could all start reading your blog looking for covert signs of your hidden identity (the journalistic equivalent of you tapping your toes, so to speak).
Posted by richard mcenroe | October 10, 2007 9:44 AM
Go ahead and hate the bloggers,
Go ahead and hate the GOP.
Do it in the name of 'progress',
Nobody here can make you stop.
There won't be any Dems complaining
Come election day,
But in the early morning after,
One 'Strib veteran slinks away...
Posted by richard mcenroe | October 10, 2007 9:46 AM
Go ahead and hate the bloggers,
Go ahead and hate the GOP.
Do it in the name of 'progress',
Nobody here can make you stop.
There won't be any Dems complaining
Come election day,
But in the early morning after,
One 'Strib veteran slinks away...
Posted by richard mcenroe | October 10, 2007 9:52 AM
I live for encores.
Posted by Exurban Jon | October 10, 2007 10:31 AM
Classic Richard!
Posted by Bing Crosby | October 10, 2007 10:38 AM
I prefer "Strib Sliding Away". I'm surprised Tony Bennett before you didn't have a few stanzas.
Posted by BD | October 10, 2007 10:57 AM
hmmm ....
who, oh who could the 'veteran' be??????
Posted by docjim505 | October 10, 2007 11:00 AM
Did Dan Rather or Mary Mapes work for the Strib at any time?
Posted by Joe Miller | October 10, 2007 11:09 AM
The thing that tells you everything you need to know about the left and their ideas is how threatened they are by talk radio and Fox News. One conservative columnist is all it takes to make a newspaper "a right-wing tool."
Posted by essucht | October 10, 2007 11:52 AM
I also find it hilarious that this "Strib veteran" finds the inclusion of one conservative columnist at the Strib (Katherine Kersten) so powerful that it can completely change the nature of the entire newspaper.
One of the most bothersome changes of the Left in the last few years is its increasing desire to censor its political opponents. From shutting down the American Spectator, to the "Fairness Doctrine", to the threats against Sinclair Broadcasting the Left does not want dissenting viewpoints available to the public.
So I have no doubt that indeed adding one conservative writer to a leftwing paper is a calamity to much of the Left. Essentially this is a pin prick in the protective leftist bubble of the MSM...
Posted by Juan Williams | October 10, 2007 11:52 AM
Welcome to my world, Joe...
Posted by Curmudgeon Geographer | October 10, 2007 12:16 PM
Strib vet . . . It's Little Nicky Coleman?
Posted by MarkH | October 10, 2007 5:40 PM
"He started suggesting that some of the buh-loggers were closet homosexuals, including me..."
I would attribute this to Captain Ed's wide blogging stance.
Posted by Gregory | October 10, 2007 5:45 PM
The painful reality is many so called journalists CAN'T WRITE. Any pinhead can write anti-war or pro-global warming editorials. Just ask J. David McSwain. It takes a real reporter, doing real work, to cover local issues. You actually have to go out and talk to people, and write down what they say. Hating Republicans can be done without ever leaving the office.
Posted by Airgun | October 10, 2007 10:36 PM
He posts at Townhall under the pseudonym "Robert".
Posted by Ray in Mpls | October 11, 2007 9:20 PM
"Now there won't be editorials about the war and global warming; they'll write about local issues like zoning conflicts in Coon Rapids instead."
Is this "Strib veteran" whining that he will not have as much editorial space now and will, God Forbid, actually have to share column space with local stories and issues? Hay "veteran," just what is it about the local environment that you find so unappealing? Who appointed you as our content filter? I think you owe the residents of the Minneapolis metropolitan area an apology for having the gall to insist that only you should make the decision of what is, or is not, appropriate content for a LOCAL newspaper.
Get this straight, "veteran," you work for the MINNEAPOLIS Star and Tribune, not Time Magazine. If you have a problem with local coverage, I suggest that you start your own newspaper. That way, you can make ALL of the decisions and you won't have to worry about sharing space with the local stories you seem to think are irrelevant. In other words, buddy: Take a hike!
Posted by CMArlowe | October 20, 2007 9:55 PM
Richard,
Hey, you know someone named slayerdaddy?