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?
