Monday, February 09, 2009

THE CALGARY HERALD: IS IT A PURGE, OR IS IT TIME FOR LAST RITES?

Purge? Or Time for Last Rites?




I hear that the once proud Calgary Herald continues its long, tragic, and inevitable nosedive into journalistic history. I was informed today by an impeccable and pristine source that Les Brost’s intelligent and stimulating column will be no more. It is terminated. Finito. Kaput. The editorial page editor, the Contessa Corbella delivered the bad news to Brost within the last day or so.

According to my unimpeachable source, the Contessa advised Brost that the gazillions of debt load heaped on the Herald’s parent company Canwest in the lead up to Izzy’s final curtain has put the rag into “perilous financial shape.” The result, according to the Contessa, is that “most freelancers are being terminated.” Poor Les finds himself among the expendables.

I look forward to testing Corbella’s explanation in the days and weeks ahead to see if Brost is likely being purged for his moderate views. If neocon Bushite trash from the likes of Susan Martinuk, Mark Milke, and G.W. Bush’s former chief speechwriter Michael Gerson continues to soil the editorial page, we can assume that poor Brost has been done in, silenced and muzzled because of his moderate and civilized views.

It will be interesting as well to know what remaining freelancers are being paid. Are they writing courtesy of organizations that can provide free hackers to the rag – such as neocon think tanks whose names you can guess. Is anybody buying access to the opinion pages of a once mighty and honourable newspaper of record now sinking quickly into a sea of ego driven debt?

As for Brost, he’s a classy guy and has accepted his fate with good humor and a positive outlook for the future. He also reads the business news and stock market quotes. This leads him to believe that there is truth to Corbella’s explanation. Canwest and the Herald are on their knees. Alas, Corbella and Herald staffers should probably be dusting off their own resumes.

Anybody want to administer the Last Rites?

6 comments:

WesternGrit said...

We need to eviscerate the media monopolies in this great country, or we're all doomed. Newspapers cannot be elite right-winged mouthpieces aimed at "entertaining" the poor and "non-understanding"...

Darryl Raymaker said...

WesternGrit - Couldn't agree with you more. The problem in a Province like Alberta is that if CanWest does go down, some other equally loony group with bucks could buy the big dailies. And the people will be no further ahead. Newspapers have to get back to the basics of writing stuff that appeals to people. I believe that this involves tough investigative reporting. Newspapers, in order to survive, have got to beat the internet to the punch with quality news.

Raymaker said...

No doubt Tom Olsen is receiving a lot of resumes and CVs from the great incompetent mass that is the Herald newsroom. They'll fit right in to the Premier's Office.

Darryl Raymaker said...

Stelmach's Tories made honest women of out their mistresses, Olsen and Stanway - just in time. When the Herald goes down, even Stelmach's home for aging political hookers isn't going to have enough room for them all.

Unknown said...
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WriterWriter said...

Whatever could be the rationale for keeping "Contessa" on board? Surely she is more of a blight than anything?
The Herald should have left her to sink with the SUN....