OUT IN THE HINTERLANDS

What happens when a small paper, ahem, publishes a piece slapping around the Good Grey Lady? The Good Grey Lady slaps back. Don't tell me the Lady is a tramp?!

Comments

[Ron Hardin]

The original wasn't bad :

``As long as these largely unseen boobs control the nation's most powerful newspaper, The New York Times will be easy to mock.

``Starry-eyed kids sitting in journalism schools around the country should keep dreaming but should also consider working for a more credible outfit.''

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/219-04152004-283039.html

I can't see what's objectionable about that.

[Leon]

"Editor Putrimas was angrier than a metrosexual out of hair gel - especially when I called Times editors "largely unseen boobs."

'A Jayson Blair slipped through our net and now we must pay the price, even to the point of putting up with hacks in the hinterlands like you who think they know a lot but who use their journalistic forum to foment half-truths and unfounded opinion,' he sneered in an e-mail."

Hacks in the hinterland? If that is not a priceless example of media elitism at its worst I don't know what is. Proximity to power and brand name make Putrimas a superior journalist to Mullane. How laughable. Judging from the response of the Times reporter and editor, the constant criticism from ignorant yahoos can no longer be haughtily ignored, it must be responded to. Too bad the responses weren't constructive but rather come off as dismissive, defensive, condescending and elitist. It just reinforces the criticism.

[Ron Hardin]

I'd like to see the NYT start responding to morons like me, with some angry article or other blasting online comments. ``Let's take a look at what sort of thing Hardin thinks is funny ...''