I doubt that Queen Elizabeth II ever went topless even in her own bathtub. So it must annoy her no end that all of her daughters-in-law have now managed display their bare bosoms to the paparazzi. What did that take, about 17 months? And don’t get the Queen started on Prince Harry going bottomless in Vegas. But seriously: What the hell, Kate? It’s a sumptuous French chateau, […]
The time for mourning is over
I’ll tell you what: I’m getting tired of all these sob stories about newspapers shutting down. Not that I have anything against newspapers, which until recently afforded me a life of unimaginable luxury. But I cringe at the poignant and somewhat accusatory tone of stories bemoaning the demise of yet another big-city rag. You’ll all be sorry when we’re gone, they say; you won’t have the Daily […]
Keep the stock. I’ll take the Subaru
I drive an 8-year-old Subaru with average miles and a couple of dents. As of today, it’s worth about 14,000 shares of Lee Enterprises. When I left the company in 1997, the same sort of vehicle would have been worth about 120 shares. Maybe Lee should have been selling used cars instead of newspapers. I worked for a Lee newspaper — The Missoulian — for 14 years. […]
As seen on TV: three for $22
So it has come to this for print journalism: selling souvenirs. Most of the time, the Wichita Eagle has trouble giving away its print product. Drive down any residential street late in the afternoon and you’ll see plastic-wrapped Eagles still lying in the driveways where the carrier tossed them that morning. Then you get an historic event like the one we’ve just witnessed. Then people realize they […]
Smoke on the water
One thing about losing your job on the Andrea Doria, it lets you hang around at a safe distance and enjoy the spectacle as the vessel founders. There was a time when I might have been alarmed at the news that the Orange County Register is farming out some its copy editing and page design to India. These days, it just makes getting laid off seem a […]
That ship has sunk
After a long career in journalism, I’m back in the job market. For a limited time only. All I require are a company car, a five-figure signing bonus and a six-figure salary. If somebody could swing by and clean the house once a week, that would be great too. Until then, guess who’s going to be blogging like there’s no tomorrow. I’ve worked at various newspapers for […]
Back when even stupid readers could write
If there were ever a book I’d buy just because of the title, Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription is surely one of them. Fortunately, I don’t have to; my wife also appreciates the sentiment it implies and gave me the book for Christmas. A collection of the most outrageous letters received at The National Review since 1968, paired with the trenchant responses of editor William F. Buckley […]