Comments on: Media: Gene Weingarten’s penis mighty indeed

By: diane vespa

diane vespa — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:04:35 +0000

This is too funny!

By: anotherexjser

anotherexjser — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:59:30 +0000

(That’s “Baker’s”; wanna beat me up?)

I believe the only co-worker to file charges against him is a former copy editor. Baker pleaded no contest.

By: Billy Dennis

Billy Dennis — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:38:15 +0000

See? If I hadn’t fired my staff of copy editors, that mistake wouldn’t have slipped through.

Besides, Rick Bakers’ run-ins with copy editors (Hell, with co-workers in general) are legendary.

By: anotherexjser

anotherexjser — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:18:35 +0000

Shouldn’t that be “sparring buddy,” Billy? I still do a bit of sporadic, unpaid, free-lance copy editing for PJStar.com.

Shortly after the Journal Star newsroom got its first spell-checking software, Rick Baker asked the managing editor if the paper couldn’t save some money by canning all the copy editors.

The irony is that over the past 35 years, copy editors have taken on more and more of the work formerly done by printers, stereotypers, proofreaders, photographers and artists, saving papers billions of dollars.

I’ve seen studies that show newsroom managerially ranks are filled disproportionately by ex-copy editors. The current managing editor, metro city editor and three of the last four night city editors at the Journal Star are former copy editors, as is the deputy opinion editor.

Among non-managers, the Cue editor, Sunday editor, Neighbors editor, arts reporter, religion reporter and assistant state editor are all people I worked with on the copy desk.

By: Billy Dennis

Billy Dennis — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:06:08 +0000

Irony is lost on some.

By: j-darcy

j-darcy — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:54:50 +0000

Did you mean to say “pen is?”