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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]