Yet Another Story About Violent Reporters
It’s all part of that “new professionalism” we keep hearing about (via Malkin):
It’s come to this: The Washington Post Style section, for years known as “the sandbox” because it was a playground for sometimes immature writers, has turned into a boxing ring because one of the editors was revolted by a story that came across his desk on deadline.
Details are sketchy, but numerous witnesses report that veteran feature editor Henry Allen punched out feature writer Manuel Roig-Franzia on Friday.
An isolated incident? Hardly. Like lightning strikes, these incidents of criminal behavior by journalists are all too commonplace — as iowahawk reminded us last month in a critical (albeit recycled) piece about violence in our newsrooms:
A Denver newspaper columnist is arrested for stalking a story subject. In Cincinnati, a television reporter is arrested on charges of child molestation. A North Carolina newspaper reporter is arrested for harassing a local woman. A drunken Chicago Sun-Times columnist and editorial board member is arrested for wife beating. A Baltimore newspaper editor is arrested for threatening neighbors with a shotgun. In Florida, one TV reporter is arrested for DUI, while another is charged with carrying a gun into a high school. A Philadelphia news anchorwoman goes on a violent drunken rampage, assaulting a police officer. In England, a newspaper columnist is arrested for killing her elderly aunt.
Unrelated incidents, or mounting evidence of that America’s newsrooms have become a breeding ground for murderous, drunk, gun-wielding child molesters?
The pattern is undeniable.
So an older journalist/editor criticized the writing by a young journalist, and then was reprimanded (and might be let go) because he responded with fists to a profane provocation by a third journalist. That makes sense in today’s world where poor work and profane attacks are acceptable but violence is the ultimate sin.
DRJ (dff2ca) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:03 pmHenry Allen, WaPo editor certainly grew up in a different sort of newsroom environment and threw his first newsroom punch in 1963.
“Back when I got into journalism, the idea that a fistfight in a newsroom would turn into a news story was unthinkable,” Allen said when reached Monday evening. “The guys in the sports department at the New York Daily News, they had so many, you wouldn’t even look up.”
Dana (e9ba20) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:16 pmIf Brother Bradley did not read this, I would let loose what I really think about journalists. I am going to have to come up with a different word to describe Bradley, since there is simply no way he is in that same class of disgusting vermin.
JD (6dce29) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:16 pmDouchenozzle-on-douchenozzle violence is something that Eric Holder and Barcky should be looking into, therefore keeping them from screwing up all of the other things that they are fiddling and dithering with.
JD (6dce29) — 11/2/2009 @ 9:18 pmI don’t know if I would go so far as to call this an example of criminal behavior. Since Roig-Franzia called him a cocksucker, Allen should be able to raise provocation as a defense and would almost certainly prevail.
Anon Y. Mous (8ba983) — 11/3/2009 @ 12:41 amReaders Digest just did a piece on 911 operators for that industries perp walk of fame.
Anybody for the next industry perp walk of fame using, police, lawyers, politicos, firemen or accountants?
Not trying to take anything away from those gathers and reporters either, just saying is all.
TC (0b9ca4) — 11/3/2009 @ 9:54 amSounds like R-F engaged in a “hate crime”.
AD - RtR/OS! (e6a9d0) — 11/3/2009 @ 10:17 am