This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the new year, a little editorial writer's inside baseball.
A beautiful piece from one of the giants of the game, Paul Greenberg of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock. (He's the guy who hung the nickname "Slick Willie" on Bill Clinton, back when he was governor there, and who may or may not regret the fact that he may or may not live to see the Clintons return to the White House.)
— As I Lay Dying — Paul Greenberg | Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
"The whole household is in turmoil. But is it the turmoil of approaching Death, or of a Return to Life? One hour, I am talking to my lawyers, approving my last will and testament, saying goodbye to family and friends, arranging for a kosher shroud . . . and the next I am making plans, writing editorials and columns, entertaining visitors and carrying on as if nothing had changed or ever will. Only the Lord knows what'll happen, and perhaps even He is as confused and undecided as I am. ..."
For a Faulkner fan, he writes lots of short sentences. But he's a newspaper guy, so I should be more like him, at least in that way. I disagree with just about everything he writes, but not with how he writes it. My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting him once at a convention. A very gracious gentleman.
And some sad news from Portland (the one in Oregon), where the newspaper is facing still more downsizing.
They will be down one writer due to a retirement. The Sunday section is going down to four pages, and,
" ... We will continue to produce daily editorials online (these can be found on The Stump), but editorials will no longer appear in The Oregonian on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, which are the three days without home delivery. (Editorials are unsigned opinion pieces that express the opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, whose members write them.) In the place of editorials on these three days, we plan to run guest columns by readers, which will be complemented by letters to the editor. Our editorials will continue to appear in The Oregonian on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. ...
" ... Among our syndicated columnists, we will continue to run – both in print an online – those we obtain through the Washington Post news service. They include, among others, George Will, E.J. Dionne Jr., Dana Milbank, Ruth Marcus, Kathleen Parker and Charles Krauthammer. However, we have discontinued our subscription to the New York Times news service and will no longer run the work of Times columnists such as David Brooks, Paul Krugman, Frank Bruni and Gail Collins. ..."
Sounds sadly familiar.
And, meanwhile, back in Vegas:
"New Media Investment Group, the company that continues to manage the Las Vegas Review-Journal after selling it to casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, has tapped an executive from one of its East Coast publications to help restore order to the embattled Nevada newspaper.
"Dave Butler, who in October was named executive editor and senior vice president of news and audience development at New Media Investment Group's Providence Journal in Rhode Island, is in Vegas this week to advise the Review-Journal's newsroom while management searches for a new top editor. ...
" ... Butler, for his part, is an industry veteran with a long career in regional newspapers. Most recently, he was editor in chief of the national newspaper chain Digital First Media. He's also held top positions at MediaNews Group, the New Haven Register and the Rocky Mountain News."
Digital First, successor to MediaNews, (still) owns The Salt Lake Tribune.
[Hat tips to the Association of Opinion Journalists and Jim Romenesko.]