Secrets of the City

I dont want to write about the Internet. I want to write on the Internet. Id rather develop content than report about content developers. Its that simple, and its also a matter of recognizing my failings: I am not Biff Deadline, Ace Reporter. I can do long stories with lots of color, all aslosh with subjective opinions, but writing straight news – clearly, simply, briskly – is a skill I lack, and I take off my hat to those who’ve mastered that discipline.

Mr. Lileks has a good start on his resignation letter right there.

This reminds me of a Mitch Hedberg joke.

As a comedian, I always get these situations where I’m auditioning for movies and sitcoms. Y’know? As a comedian, they want you to do other things besides comedy. “All right, you’re a comedian, can you write? Write us a script. Act — Act in this sitcom.” They want me to do shit that’s related to comedy, but it’s not comedy. It’s not fair. It’s as though I was a cook, and I worked my ass off to become a really good cook, and they said, “All right, you’re a cook… can you farm?”

Lileks’s blogosphere pals are going nuts. And Lileks himself is asking people to e-mail the Strib imploring them to reconsider. Do you think the Strib will be inundated on his behalf? Do you think it’ll make any difference?

I feel bad for the guy. I may not share his politics, and his Back Fence column isn’t my cup of tea, but he’s a first-rate humorist in his other writing and, based on his occasional comments here, seems like a pretty decent guy.

Writing ‘about’ the Internet is as interesting as writing ‘about’ newspapers. Sounds to me like a get-on-the-Internet-bandwagon pile of doo-doo to me.

Lileks’s blogosphere pals are going nuts.

Now ask yourself if there would be a similar reaction if Coleman had been the one to go.

All in all it’s just … one more brick in the wall.

There will be lots of folks upset if Coleman goes. You may not agree with him, but he’s a reporter, which is more than you can say for some over there.

Ditto Grow. At least he has some credentials. The others would get eaten alive if they were put on an everyday beat.

I have no real affection for any of the Tribune columnists, but I do at the very least check to see what they write about everyday. I think those positions are important to the paper and doing away with them would be a partial lobotomy, stripping a little bit of soul from something inherently soulless.

They could be better, maybe different people are needed, but they shouldn’t be totally eliminated.

I think they shoul’dve made Katherine Kersten a beat reporter. The results would’ve been hilarious

Lileks’s blogosphere pals are going nuts.

Going? You ever look at one of those sites?

Soon, there won’t be a reporter working at the Strib. It’ll just be a paper blog run by an editor taking stories from the AP wire, and passing them along.

It’s not the Backfence anymore. It became the Quirk, once it went daily.

This columnist thing will seem like nothing after today’s 3:00 meeting. Lambert had it yesterday.

They’re gutting the place.

I guess I didn’t realize the following Lileks had.

Here’s a Nancy Nall on the ordeal. (via Ezra Klein)

I think I’m in love with Nancy Nall.

Holy crap: one of the announcements that’s supposed to happen today is that they’re hiring a new features editor… from the Pioneer Press.

I justheard from someone at the Strib that in at least one department — not the newsroom — there are definitely layoffs happening today. Don’t know how many, but Friday will be last day of work for some.

“ . . . his Back Fence column isn’t my cup of tea, but he’s a first-rate humorist in his other writing . . . . “

Agree. He’s at his best at meaningful social commentary, (and he is one of the best at that), but his daily Strib column was (I’m guessing) made fairly meaningless due to constraints on what the Strib would accept from him. (”We have Kersten, nobody can MAKE us print anything else from that bunch . . .”)

I’m just hoping that the Strib thing wasn’t a major chunk of his writing income.

Annnnndd…..CHOP!

Yikes…hate to see this happen to yet another newspaper. I’ve known my fair share of Strib employees and I wouldn’t want any of them to lose their jobs. They can’t seriously be losing that much money, can they?

Maybe they’re saving up for their lawsuit settlement with the PP…

That’s the irony… they’re not LOSING any money. Ad revenues might be down; circulation is certainly down; but they’re still making millions. I actually thing the profit margin last year was around 15%.

Yes, but the trends are ugly. They may have made 15% last year, but I bet the forecasts are for 10% this year, and 5% the year after, and then….

Classifieds are gone. Car ads are going. Real estate ads are going. Those were the big cash cows, and they’re all moving online.

Lileks is a talented, but he shouldn’t be untouchable. I used to peruse his blog, but he talks too much about his daughter. Nice little girl, I’m sure but I got tired of it.

The Back Fence was folksy little column — well written for the most part. But there wasn’t a lot of meat.

Now people are saying he’s the only columnist with a “national following.” Where? On the Internet. So what? He’s the “New Media.” Granted he’s one step the Hobby Journalists who normally blog, but it’s still a fringe readership.

This is a great day!

I have read cereal boxes that have more wit.

Death to the NEOCON!

A couple years ago, I Lileks and some of his blog sidekicks sniffing about Keillor. The Old Media.

The were pretty pleased with themselves.

Look at me! I have an Internet Following!

I am Thumb-body!

I feel bad for the guy. I may not share his politics, and his Back Fence column isn’t my cup of tea, but he’s a first-rate humorist in his other writing and, based on his occasional comments here, seems like a pretty decent guy.

»» Submitted by »»» msparber at 10:22 AM on May 7

This sums up my feelings pretty well. I also like his concern for urban environments and architecture around town.

I enjoy reading Lilek’s column. He writes about things us common folks can relate to (i.e Target, the common cold, Christmas decorations, etc. I wish he would stop referring to his daughter as “child”. I know her name is Natalie and she seems like a darling little girl.

I don’t have the same love for C.J.’s column. She’s fine if you get on her good side–but if you’re not (ex. Prince, sports reporter Anne Hutchinson) watch out.