Monthly Archives: November 2009

A reporter’s best friend: Extortion

By Luke Warm Professor of Mendacity, University of Munchausen [paypal-donation] There’s a scene in Richard Wright’s 1940 novel, Native Son, where a newspaper reporter lays down the lie that should be a tool in every journalist’s kit. I thought of this … Continue reading

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Of pizzas, pools and prosecutors: or, how the ‘Free’ Press (once again) muzzled itself

The Wall Street Journal‘s revelation that my onetime employer, The Detroit [Self-Styled] Free Press, had invited advertisers to participate in the reporting and editing process came as no surprise to me. I worked at the Free Press 23 years if … Continue reading

Posted in Bad government, censorship, future of newspapers, Joel's J School | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mattyville

By Joel Thurtell [paypal-donation] They ought to call it “Mattyville.” A proper place name might help focus the brains of the “protesters” who were kicked out of a recent Windsor City Council meeting for failing to restrain their emotions about a … Continue reading

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Unmeasuring the Rouge

The New York Times did a bang-up job today, November 23, 2009, reporting on hazardous pollution created by municipal sewer systems. Glad they found the story. This kind of national attention to a serious problem that is getting worse is … Continue reading

Posted in Adventures on the Rouge, Bad government | 3 Comments

“I beat Ohio State!”

Hoping to boost morale and maybe a win by The University of Michigan over arch-rival Ohio State University last year, on November 19, 2008 I posted this essay about my father-in-law, former UM football player and coach Hank Fonde. Didn’t … Continue reading

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Bully boys in red

By Joel Thurtell [paypal-donation] Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, has come out swinging against The New York Times. The newspaper, he wrote on his blog, is unfair to Roman Catholics. In his November 8, 2009 public editor’s column, Clark … Continue reading

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Read The Spirit and ‘Seydou’s Christmas Tree’

[paypal-donation] Two years ago, David Crumm of ReadThe Spirit.com featured my essay on the experience my wife and I had with Christmas in Africa. David’s enthusiasm for that piece — written many years ago — encouraged me to publish the … Continue reading

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Business model for newspapers

by Joel Thurtell [paypal-donation] Heard about a business model for newspapers. Goes like this: Write news, sell ads, print a paper and hawk it, mail it, put it in vending machines, newsstands and let people decide if they want to … Continue reading

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Ann Arbor Library touts ‘Up the Rouge!’

[paypal-donation] Nice commentary by the Ann Arbor District Library on our Wayne State University Press book, Up the Rouge! Paddling Detroit’s Hidden River. The book is by me, Joel Thurtell, with photos by Patricia Beck. Too bad the A2 library doesn’t … Continue reading

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My Times ‘beer allowance’

By Joel Thurtell [paypal-donation] Odd situation I have with The New York Times, which wants to charge me a $520 fee for reprinting a story I wrote for them 30 years ago. They only paid me seventy-five bucks for the … Continue reading

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