Tag Archives: Gannett

Joel on the road — but the roadmap has changed

By Joel Thurtell I’m on vacation, folks. Pecking away at my laptop in a Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario motel. It’s August 2, and I have fresh columns through August 6. Oh-oh. I promised I’d post something new every day. Many … Continue reading

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Message from the Messenger: You’re fired!

By Joel Thurtell Guess they showed me who’s boss. The door did not slam behind me — I got the news at home, by phone. After three months of writing for a liberal blog, I’m out. Liberal or conservative, it … Continue reading

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‘Sources say’ — Free Press mantra

By Joel Thurtell [donation] I don’t give a rat’s ass whether the governor of Michigan called a federal prosecutor. But I’m sick and tired of the Detroit Free Press dumping on the world its daily tabloid-style rants dressed up as … Continue reading

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Fourth of July revery

By Joel Thurtell What if we lived in a country where companies could ban employees from voting? How democratic would that be? Well, it hasn’t happened. But it could. And there is an industry where political activity already is looked … Continue reading

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Bye-bye, yak

By Joel Thurtell Obituary time at the Detroit Free Press: That venerable promotional creature, the furry, goofy Yak, is dead. Word from inside the Freep is that this popular creature — an educational feature aimed at kids, part of it contained … Continue reading

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A TRUE ethics policy

“Ride hard, shoot straight and speak the shining truth.” Why would I post a one-line, nine-word bromide that is open to a wide range of interpretation and claim it as my blog’s ethics policy? Because it contains three elements missing … Continue reading

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The Future of Newspapers, Part I

Seems like the demise of newspapers is on people’s minds. I stopped at the Plymouth shop of glass blower Don Schneider, who gave me his take on the Detroit dailies’ apparently unstoppable descent toward doom. The Free Press and the … Continue reading

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