The art of writing bullshit

[donation]

By Joel Thurtell

Tea leaves anyone?

I just received the latest missive from Detroit Free Press Editor Paul Anger, addressed to the Free Press staff.

It makes me wonder what a Bach fugue would sound like if you left out the counterpoint.

In reading this memo, which I plan to reproduce in all its boring entirety, please keep in mind that this Pulitzer-lusting newspaper is operating with a photography staff short Chief of Photography Kyle Keener, whom Anger in his wisdom fired and then didn’t replace; Amy Leang, a veteran staff photographer, is taking a hike, no replacement; and super-veteran photographer Mary Schroeder (remember the Free press poster photo of Kirk Gibson leaping in jubilation at the Tigers’ World Series win in ’84? That was Mary’s work) is going to be an editor, with no apparent replacement.

You’ll notice it as the paper runs more and more wire photos, but you won’t see it in the Anger memo.

The photographers are busting their buns because Gannett is too cheap to replace people. Well, what did I think? The buyouts were meant to REDUCE staff levels, let those who remain fend for themselves.

You won’t get that from this morsel of mendacity.

This institution, remember, has bought out almost 40 veteran staffers in most every editorial department over a half-year period, without replacing them.

Nothing about staff levels here.

The people who remain are stressed, fried, looking for exits.

But, will wonders never cease? Managers have engineered a deck-chair dance as this newspaper Titanic marches towards the drink.

It is a masterpiece of prose subterfuge. What it does say is beyond belief. What it fails to say is the real story. Just one example: Ron Dzwonkowski is without a doubt the smartest, most knowledgeable editor on the staff. The guy is a genius at comprehending and organizing complex journalistic problems. Ron was my editor on several investigative projects in the 1980s and early 1990s, and his ability to grasp what a story really is about is just phenomenal. His talent for analyzing evidence is simply unsurpassed.

There was the stolen gun story, his idea, executed by me, in which I traced the multitude of owners of a revolver that was stolen from a Kalamazoo cop and wound up killing a kid in Ann Arbor. There was the Capital Appreciation Bond story, about an arcane topic — municipal bonds — that most business reporters don’t cover let alone fathom, but which Ron grasped as a huge driver of Michigan school debt. There was the immense amount of fraud being perpetrated in the 1980s by school districts all over the state that were stealing millions in state aid by falsifying their adult education student rolls. Those were stories that, to borrow an ancient Free Press slogan, Made A Difference. Thanks to Ron.

Believe me, an editor like Ron is a rarity at the Free Press, despite all the hyperbole and cow stool you will wade through below.

I could go on. The guy is a wonder. Reporters worshiped him. You could be all the way on the other side of the state, deadline breathing down your throat, a pilot waiting to fly you back to Detroit and sources just about ready to give up the info and you’d call Ron and know at the other end of the line there was a colleague who could grasp just what your stresses were. But then, Ron was an Associated Press reporter before coming to the Free Press. He traveled to every down big and small in Michigan and could visualize the very pay phone you were calling him from. Unlike many editors, he knows what a reporter does.

Yes, a REAL editor.

Funny how Ron never made City Editor. The best man for the job. He would have been a brilliant choice.

Wonder why. Of course, I know why. I’ll get into that verboten territory in another column.

City Editor? Didn’t happen. He ran projects, then was assigned to oversee the editorial page. An important job, no doubt, but Ron is a NEWS person. Still, far as I can see, he did a great job as editorial page editor.

I’m reading the blurb Paul Anger signed but most likely didn’t write about Ron. What does it say? What will Ron be doing? Make like Dave Robinson, another talented editor who was too smart for Gannett, and take a buyout?

Why publish such dreck? Why not just do what you’re going to do without dishing out all the feces?

Okay, here it is. If you enjoy double-talk, this should be fun.

Newsroom Leadership

Name: Jody Williams
Published on: September 18, 2008 02:45 PM

Sept. 18, 2008

To the Free Press Staff,

From Paul Anger

I’m excited to make several announcements related to our core leadership structure. With one exception, they are effective Nov. 10, and Executive Editor Caesar Andrews will be in place until then.

I want to emphasize that I am very proud of the following folks. They epitomize the talent and dedication that so many staff members bring to this newsroom, every day:

AME Ritu Sehgal will become Deputy Managing Editor for News and Features. Ritu brings a sense of purpose and focus to everything she touches, including her work with Metro, the Investigative Team and now our Features and Entertainment departments. Ritu’s counsel and editing contributions have been indispensible to our mayor coverage. Her new title matches her broadened responsibilities and how effectively she’s handling them.

AME Steve Dorsey will become Deputy Managing Editor for Presentation and Innovation. Steve brings a wealth of creativity to this newsroom and is one of the key people in this building working on our new IDEO project. His impact on where we’re headed is profound and expanding — he’ll take on supervision of our news desk, continue to oversee design and graphics, and become more involved with Web design. He will work closely with Julie Topping as we restructure our editing processes.

Deputy Editorial Page Editor Stephen Henderson will become Editorial and Opinion Editor, in charge of the editorial pages of the Free Press and our increasing emphasis on commentary and blogs on Freep.com. Steve has had a tremendous impact with his own columns and his vision for online commentary. He knows this city and the greater community, and standing alongside Ron Dzwonkowski, he has helped enhance Free Press leadership in Detroit and Michigan. Steve will begin his new role in January.

Editorial Page Editor Ron Dzwonkowski will become Free Press Associate Editor. After 10 outstanding years, and after having hand-picked his successor in Steve, Ron will move into these wide-ranging duties: He’ll write a weekly column, blog, edit some other news/opinion columnists, and also edit selected high-impact enterprise projects from time to time. Ron’s leadership inside and outside of this building cannot be overstated. As Associate Editor, Ron will continue to have his own unique impact on our best journalism. After the general election, Ron will begin transitioning into his new duties.

Managing Editor for Digital Media Nancy Andrews will continue to oversee Photo-Video and our expanding digital efforts, including Freep.com enhancements, current and future niche sites, broadcast opportunities and new ways of delivering digital information. As our Web traffic has soared and we’ve assumed leadership in multi-media across the country, Nancy has had increasing impact not just in our newsroom but also with the Detroit Media Partnership and across Gannett. To say she’s been an innovator and leader of change is…..understatement.

ME/Newsroom Operations Julie Topping will have a simplified title — Managing Editor. Julie will continue as our point person for issues related to production, advertising and marketing. She will continue to oversee our editing and the restructuring of our copy desk and will work with Steve Dorsey on design and graphics. She will also take on these duties — handling syndicated material and news wires, coordinating newsroom recruiting, helping to expand newsroom training, and overseeing a new Sunday real estate tab now under development. Gene Myers and the Sports Department will begin reporting to Julie as well. Julie brings broad knowledge, organizational skills and leadership deep and wise to all parts of this newsroom, as reflected in her new title.

And finally: ME/News and Features Jeff Taylor will become senior managing editor, with all the duties and responsibilities that title carries. Jeff will oversee newsroom functions and report directly to me. Jeff has had the highest impact in this newsroom in a variety of ways — with Sports, Metro, the Investigative Team, Features, Business. He has been a catalyst in connecting departments across the newsroom to share reporting resources and to support each other, which is more critical than ever now. He’s always been laser-focused on getting our best, most exclusive journalism into the newspaper and onto Freep. He’s handled the most complex stories we’ve ever produced.

I’m excited about Jeff’s role, about our entire leadership team and the folks who are stepping up. And I want to say, again, that they represent the tip of the iceberg — I am proud of the many people doing wonderful things every day across the newsroom. This leadership team is dedicated to supporting all of those efforts.

— Paul Anger

There — that’s it, in half a dozen nutshells.

Thoughts, anyone?

Drop me a line at joelthurtell(at)gmail.com