77 Comments:
Probably not going to be her decision: Cuts coming, fast.
»» Submitted by gettin' canned too at 11:14 AM on May 15
I think having to go through life wearing that hideous Katherine Kersten mask is punishment enough.
Consider it the preamble to her upcoming book
"Martyr: How A Courage Conservative Took On The Liberal Media Machine -- And Lost"
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 11:21 AM on May 15
And to think I just re-upped my sunday paper for 6 more months.
»» Submitted by »»» mnblrmkr at 11:22 AM on May 15
In all seriousness, this is really bad news, if more cuts are coming. I won't miss KK, but there are still some good writers left at the Strib.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 11:23 AM on May 15
What a right wing christian 'journalist' playing the victim card? Wow - never saw that coming.
Who wants to bet on which 'family' organization will blame her eventual firing on the war on christians?
»» Submitted by regexp at 11:49 AM on May 15
It's because she's a Christian. The anti-god, anti-american heathens hate her.
»» Submitted by mazasa at 12:02 PM on May 15
If CJ and the Withering Glancers remain, we shall have our answer.
»» Submitted by bud jr at 12:03 PM on May 15
Heathens, Maz?
Heh. Look who's talking.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 12:07 PM on May 15
The anti-god, anti-american heathens hate her.
The Chinese hate her? I doubt they're even aware of her.
And to think I just re-upped my sunday paper for 6 more months.
Do you have that many bird cages to line?
»» Submitted by »»» sornie at 12:18 PM on May 15
I find it interesting that the Democratic official is calling for her firing because of her report on a Muslim school. I wonder how different of a scenario it would be if a Republican official called for Nick Coleman's firing over a report on a Christian school. Imagine the scandal! Then we'd hear a lot more about freedom of the press, censorship, and separation of church and state. So many parallels to draw.
»» Submitted by Derekest at 12:23 PM on May 15
And imagine if it was a dinosaur calling for the closing of a caveman newspaper/
Yes, imaginary parallels are easy to draw. And so very, very meaningless.
I'm failing to see the connection between dinosaurs and political figures, but the big question is: is the dino a Libertarian, and how does the caveman create a newspaper, with stone tablets?
»» Submitted by Derekest at 12:29 PM on May 15
THEY JUST PAINT IT ON THE WALLS, MAN.
Caveman metaphors should not be this complicated.
The anti-god, anti-american heathens hate her.
The Chinese hate her? I doubt they're even aware of her.
Ahem. Can't we blame the Russians for once?
»» Submitted by Cat_ at 12:32 PM on May 15
I don't think the Russians are still Godless. I suppose we could blame French socialists.
Blame Canada.
»» Submitted by jane_ at 12:36 PM on May 15
...and ethanol!
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 12:40 PM on May 15
god dang it, now I put the song "Blame Canada" in my head.
I blame Canada for that.
»» Submitted by jane_ at 12:46 PM on May 15
I don't really want to blame anyone, can't we all just get along.
Ok, I'm with Jane & Bob - blame Canadian ethanol.
»» Submitted by Cat_ at 12:46 PM on May 15
And to think I just re-upped my sunday paper for 6 more months.
Do you have that many bird cages to line?
I recycle.
Besides, I put my money where my mouth is, and support the media format that is most accessible to me.
»» Submitted by »»» mnblrmkr at 12:47 PM on May 15
I once met this Native American, Ex-Navy sailor who told me, in no uncertain terms, that he "Hated America."
So my question is "Why do all Native American Ex Navy Sailors hate America?"
At least she has the courage to mention how readers perceive her journalistic qualities
That suggests that she has journalistic qualities to perceive.
»» Submitted by »»» Bixby at 12:59 PM on May 15
I find it interesting that the Democratic official is calling for her firing because of her report on a Muslim school. -- I don't think it's worth calling for her firing, but said Democratic official has a good point. Of course there's no excuse for the ignorant jackassery of the people who actually did all that stuff.
That suggests that she has journalistic qualities to perceive. -- *snerk*
»» Submitted by »»» ericam at 1:20 PM on May 15
Fitting that she reprints an entire Power Line post that has "grandstanding" in the title. I think this is a ploy by Kersten to generate sympathy with Avista managers, thereby keeping her job: she can say, "See, I must be doing something right; look at at all the interest I generate."
Minnesota Monitor, by the way, has more on this: Pulitzer winner and PiPress reporter David Hanners signed the petition. If anybody's got the chops to call Kersten out on journalistic grounds, it's him.
»» Submitted by grandstanding at 1:24 PM on May 15
I dont think shes all that worried about losing her job. Thats the entire point of her blog post.
She does in fact generate a lot of interest. Much more than Dick - er Nick.
»» Submitted by 108 at 1:28 PM on May 15
It's just a sad way to pretend that there is an editorial balance at the Strib. Instead of seeking excellence in writing and reporting, and columns that are based on that excellence, they simply find a shrill right winger who will quickly and stupidly sketch up the daily talking points and happily bully whoever is currently out of favor. It's, like, "Hey, we don't have a liberal bias -- look at the right wing loon we print!"
The amazing thing is that conservatives aren't equally disgusted by this. But, then, as long as they can pretend that the only reason someone might have a problem with her is because the critics are godless, anti-American, and hate Christians, I guess they don't care whether she does her job well or not.
A lot of other, much better journalists and writers have already lost their jobs in this town. What makes her job any different from theirs? Kersten is today's version of Father Coughlin from the 30s, a demagogue who uses fear-mongering to pit people against each other.
»» Submitted by Joanna at 1:44 PM on May 15
I'm not in sunstantial disagreement with that Max. But there does not seem to be much dissatisfaction with the way Nick does his job. He gets the benefit of liberal approval.
I'm fond of recalling the time Nick did a column about George W flipping the bird based on a photoshopped image as if it actually happened. Nick was outraged of course.
»» Submitted by 108 at 1:44 PM on May 15
I never read Nick. If he's equally bad, he should go too.
Father Coughlin was a left winger, by the way.
»» Submitted by 108 at 1:45 PM on May 15
William H. Buckley, Jr., she aint, that's for sure. Not even a George Will or David Brooks.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 1:46 PM on May 15
Maybe The Onion's hiring, KK.
»» Submitted by »»» jtd at 1:47 PM on May 15
Father Coughlin was a left winger, by the way.
Well, sort of. He supported the New Deal initially, but then turned against it.
She does in fact generate a lot of interest. Much more than Dick - er Nick.
Coleman seems to drive quite a bit of interest with his columns. The big difference is that Kersten also blogs, while Coleman doesn't. I read at either MPR, Monitor, or Minnpost (don't remember which), he explained that he doesn't because Kersten gets paid extra for the blog, but Management wanted him to do it for free.
»» Submitted by »»» mnblrmkr at 1:49 PM on May 15
There's the difference, 108. I have heard MANY lefties rail against Nick Coleman. How many RIGHTIES criticize KK?
I don't know how you'd even measure how much interest is generated by either Nick Coleman or Kersten. If anyone has a source I'd be... interested.
»» Submitted by JC65 at 1:52 PM on May 15
Maybe The Onion's hiring, KK.
She could offer story lines for this comic.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 1:52 PM on May 15
I havent heard any righties say 'boy, shes the worlds greatest columnist'.
Under the circumstances, I think she puts out some useful pieces that no one else would. This TIZA school thing by they way - Nick HATES charter schools, he should be all over that. But as a lefty, multiculturalism trumps malfeasance.
Coleman is not that provacative. Hes a caricature.
»» Submitted by 108 at 1:56 PM on May 15
Anybody remember when I mentioned that the new anti-gay archbishop of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and Saint Paul used to preside over my high school (and the associated parish and grade school)? Father Coughlin presided over that same parish around the time that the schools were founded. Yay for Catholic schools?
»» Submitted by »»» ericam at 1:58 PM on May 15
I'm just confused by her qualifications. Was she the only person who applied? When it comes to conservatives, I guess I'd rather read about Lilek's kid for the 10 millionth time.
She was available, and they didnt look very hard.
»» Submitted by 108 at 2:01 PM on May 15
Father Coughlin was a populist. There's left-wing populism and right-wint populism. Coughlin started out supporing FDR and the New Deal, but turned to fascism His moral crusades used scapegoating and anti-semitism, and stirred up violent action by the "Silver Shirts" (our local fascists of the day) and that is why I compared him to Kersten. I think she may genuinely believe she is defending some kind of morality, but she advocates a politics of hate, blame, and scapegoating, and encourages bigotry. Threats of violence against a school and children should be taken seriously, and she acknowledges no connection between her mis-representations of issues and the encouragement of hateful behavior.
I said in an earlier thread that I don't think she should be fired for her views in and of themselves, but I do think the Strib has to acknowledge that if they continue to print her columns, they will drive away some readers in favor of appealing to others.
»» Submitted by Joanna at 2:03 PM on May 15
Coleman seems to drive quite a bit of interest with his columns. The big difference is that Kersten also blogs, while Coleman doesn't. I read at either MPR, Monitor, or Minnpost (don't remember which), he explained that he doesn't because Kersten gets paid extra for the blog, but Management wanted him to do it for free.
Kersten, as far as I can tell, doesn't really blog. Generally her blog seems to consist of her columns, followed by a hell of a lot of comments. She doesn't seem to participate in the dialog, nor does she post much content specific to her "blog."
»» Submitted by »»» richg at 2:08 PM on May 15
I don't think the Russians are still Godless. I suppose we could blame French socialists.
Probably not because most French socialists still go to Mass, I'm guessing.
French Existentialists on the other hand ...
What if we just blame the French-Canadians and call it a day?
»» Submitted by »»» richg at 2:14 PM on May 15
Kersten, as far as I can tell, doesn't really blog. Generally her blog seems to consist of her columns, followed by a hell of a lot of comments. She doesn't seem to participate in the dialog, nor does she post much content specific to her "blog."
She does seem to post items almost every day, even days when she doesn't have a column. I don't see what failure to participate in the "dialog" in the comments has to do with whether or not she's "blogging." Some blogs don't even have comment sections.
»» Submitted by »»» mnblrmkr at 2:23 PM on May 15
Probably not because most French socialists still go to Mass, I'm guessing.
Really? I thought that religious observance in most of Europe was down to the single digits.
»» Submitted by »»» mnblrmkr at 2:26 PM on May 15
Just blame the right wing French guys that spend their whole life painting the Eiffel Tower (if there are any right wing French guys that spend their whole life painting the Eiffel Tower)
»» Submitted by harro at 2:26 PM on May 15
She does seem to post items almost every day, even days when she doesn't have a column. I don't see what failure to participate in the "dialog" in the comments has to do with whether or not she's "blogging." Some blogs don't even have comment sections.
That was my bad for not noticing that she was blogging more. She hadn't been a few months back. But I call bullshit on any blog where the author doesn't participate. And if there's no room for comments? It's a glorified newspaper column/article -- not a blog.
»» Submitted by »»» richg at 2:31 PM on May 15
She has comments. Theres a crew of regulars that participate there. Nothing like this crowd here, of course.
»» Submitted by 108 at 2:33 PM on May 15
108 -- I know. I've actually participated over there a few times. I'm just emphasizing to blrmkr that we have a disagreement over what constitutes a real blog.
»» Submitted by »»» richg at 2:36 PM on May 15
blog:
A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
No requirement for comments.
»» Submitted by »»» mnblrmkr at 3:00 PM on May 15
It's a blog, just a very bad one.
No requirement for comments.
Yes, I realize what the dictionary definition of a blog is. I just am egotistical enough to believe that the dictionary is wrong.
»» Submitted by »»» richg at 3:07 PM on May 15
It's just a sad way to pretend that there is an editorial balance at the Strib. Instead of seeking excellence in writing and reporting, and columns that are based on that excellence, they simply find a shrill right winger who will quickly and stupidly sketch up the daily talking points and happily bully whoever is currently out of favor. It's, like, "Hey, we don't have a liberal bias -- look at the right wing loon we print!"
The amazing thing is that conservatives aren't equally disgusted by this. But, then, as long as they can pretend that the only reason someone might have a problem with her is because the critics are godless, anti-American, and hate Christians, I guess they don't care whether she does her job well or not.
Colman and Kristen are both part of the c to d team. They both play the same games and both write to a specific niche that reads the strib. If she goes Colman should go. The strib is on its last leg anyway so who cares. By the way I could careless about the whole religion aspect to this argument. I think Marx said it best, Religion is the opiate of the masses and this whole thing is an overdose.
»» Submitted by swandog at 3:14 PM on May 15
Yes, well Marx has been so correct on so many things hasnt he.
»» Submitted by 108 at 3:23 PM on May 15
Yes, well Marx has been so correct on so many things hasnt he
Some he has some he has not. He was more of a philosopher than a economist. I do not agree with his view of economics but he did have more to say than people give him credit for. Opiate of the masses he was right on the money, call it Muslim, christian, or the pickle purple people worshipers and they all are full of shit and in the end manipulate others for their own end.
»» Submitted by swandog at 3:35 PM on May 15
Yes, well Marx has been so correct on so many things hasnt he.
Groucho? Yes. Zeppo? Not so much...
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 3:37 PM on May 15
Do NOT bad mouth Zeppo. His work has always been underappreciated.
Gummo even more so.
There's an online petition for her removal.
»» Submitted by »»» ericam at 3:39 PM on May 15
Even you have to admit the Harpo Marx Radio Hour was a failure, max.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 3:41 PM on May 15
Enh, I guess I should RTFA, eh?
»» Submitted by »»» ericam at 3:41 PM on May 15
A commercial failure, bob. It was an artistic triumph.
Swandog: "Opiate of the masses he was right on the money, call it Muslim, christian, or the pickle purple people worshipers and they all are full of shit and in the end manipulate others for their own end."
As opposed to, say, politics maybe?
»» Submitted by »»» teucer at 3:54 PM on May 15
I think they should cut 50% of the remaining staff. and it should be done via one-on-one steel cage matches. Kersten v. Coleman would be the main event.
»» Submitted by grote at 4:05 PM on May 15
I suppose I'd still like to see some reporting on what she wrote that was factually incorrect. A visit by a state legislator doesn't exactly count as reporting, does it? Maybe I just haven't paid enough attention, but this does seem like a lot of noise over nothing.
For me, it's not that she was factually incorrect. It's that she was selecting and framing facts in a way that was designed to fan anger against an already despised minority. It was a very uncautious story -- and, frankly, one that did not need to be rushed into print without any real new reporting going on. If you're going to go after a group that people are already hostile about, the least you can do is check and double-check every single fact. And she might not have been able to get into the school itself, but every writer worth their salt know how to report around that and find other sources.
There's a mouthful for you.....
How DOES sparber know motive the way he does?
»» Submitted by bud jr at 4:28 PM on May 15
It was all the years he worked in the government's Telekinesis and Telepathy Program for Starving Artists, but I've said too much.
»» Submitted by »»» JACC at 4:32 PM on May 15
You realize that he'll likely boil your brain inside your skull for even saying that much, don't you?
»» Submitted by »»» richg at 4:35 PM on May 15
Because I can read, bud.
You realize that he'll likely boil your brain inside your skull for even saying that much, don't you?
Brains? Yum! They taste like chicken!
»» Submitted by »»» indyr at 5:10 PM on May 15
You realize that he'll likely boil your brain inside your skull for even saying that much, don't you?
Good luck finding it, sucka!
Oh . . . wait.
»» Submitted by JACC Acoustic at 6:41 PM on May 15
I like how the KK petition has 100+ more signatures than it did before she publicized it.
God brought Katherine Kersten to us in order to teach the world that there are more annoying people than Garrison Keillor.
»» Submitted by eirikur at 1:56 PM on May 21
»»» = registered user. click on it to see the user's profile.
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