Perhaps the most insane column from the Tuscaloosa News ever

[Syrinx]

The Tuscaloosa News has a beautiful, (relatively) new, glass building on the banks of the Black Warrior River. It's really a pretty building.

But since Tommy Stevenson and Ben Windham left recently, and a new right-wing publisher bought the paper, the quality of the journalism has nosedived.

The paper won Pulitzers during the civil rights struggle years ago. But it has been pretty bad in recent years. Little to no original reporting, etc. But now it is just pathetic.

They have a columnist that has a piece each Wednesday. He repeats stuff he heard on Fox News. So we know he's probably pretty stupid. But check out his latest masterpiece.

He's defending George Zimmerman, and people like him, and guns in general.

When citizens defend themselves with firearms, it doesn’t make the national news that often, either. But it happens with relative frequency. The National Rifle Association’s publications carry a monthly feature called “The Armed Citizen.” The feature is a compilation of snippets from the newspapers around the country detailing incidents in which citizens defended themselves with firearms.

People who don’t own guns and fear guns don’t hear about that. They hear about incidents where law-abiding citizens kill someone wrongfully, and they get a skewed perspective about the likelihood that it will happen.

He is defending "law-abiding citizens" who "kill someone wrongfully." Got that?

This guy should be fired, and have his self-satisfied smirk slapped off his face. What a moron.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20120411/NEWS/120419978/1245/opinion01?p=2&tc=pg&tc=ar

[trof]

1. I worked at the Tuscsloosa News in the early 60s while a journalism student.

The legendary Buford Boone was editor and publisher back then.
The News used to have an unparalleled reputation among other newspaper folks.
Too bad to see what's happened.

More about Boone:
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1783

[Syrinx]

3. thanks for the link

The quality of the journalism that came from that little, rat-infested building on 6th street was infinitely higher than what comes out of that shiny, some would say garish, palace on River Road.

[ges5626sek]

6. interesting.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. pointing to the non-logic of that sentence:

if "law-abiding citizens kill someone wrongfully"
then they are not law abiding.

[Syrinx]

4. exactly my point

[Syrinx]

5. the Pulitzer committee is conspiring to make me look ridiculous :)

For a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news that, as quickly as possible, captures events accurately as they occur, and, as time passes, illuminates, provides context and expands upon the initial coverage, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News Staff, for its enterprising coverage of a deadly tornado, using social media as well as traditional reporting to provide real-time updates, help locate missing people and produce in-depth print accounts even after power disruption forced the paper to publish at another plant 50 miles away.

http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2012-Breaking-News-Reporting

They did some good stuff with video on their website, but for print, I was actually more impressed by The Crimson White.