Friday, October 7, 2011
Arkansas Media John Brummett moves to Democrat-Gazette — again
Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Oct 7, 2011 at 12:01 AM
He'll write three columns for the newspaper and one column for on-line use only. You'll have to subscribe to get the on-line colum.
I'll leave it to the Democrat-Gazette to chronicle Brummett's resume — Log Cabin Democrat, Arkansas Democrat, Arkansas Gazette, Arkansas Times/Arkansas Business, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Times, Stephens Media , Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The move means he'll be departing the pages of the Arkansas Times. He appeared here through a syndicate agreement with Stephens Media.
Brummett will be an independent contractor, not a Democrat-Gazette employee. He fills a niche — local news columnist — that has been sorely lacking in the state's largest newspaper.
Departing Stephens Media for the Democrat-Gazette? To be edited by Paul Greenberg, who was known to take a crack or two at Brummett during the days they were on the same team?
It's not really that surprising. He was hired away from the D-G at extraordinarily high pay when Stephens and the Democrat-Gazette were in a Northwest Arkansas newspaper war (shades of Orville Henry). The war's over. Walter Hussman, publisher of the D-G, won. He controls the operations of blended papers in the region, though Stephens shares in the profits, if any, and staffs the papers that wrap around the regional edition of the D-G. Stephens has pared its newspaper payroll nationwide substantially. Its flagship newspaper property, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is no longer a cash cow. It, too, has been rocked by layoffs. The Stephens Little Rock news bureau is much smaller than it was during the war, serving mostly to supply copy to Pine Bluff, which no longer takes AP, and Fort Smith. The Democrat-Gazette, with its statewide circulation, can make better use of a columnist. And if the subscription model works, it might even make some money on the deal.
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Comments (8)
Showing 1-8 of 8
I will continue to comment a lot on Brummett’s articles. Brummett is one of the best journalists I have had the chance to read. Many others have articles that don’t engage the issues of the day like he does. I started reading his articles in the 1980′s and haven’t ever stopped since. If you like a list of past posts of mine on his articles then check out http://haltingarkansasliberalswithtruth.co…
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Doubt Brummett appreciated being labeled the prodigal. I'll miss reading him. Subscription expires next week. Getting my news from the radio, cable TV, and online newspaper and journalist blogs -- and my store coupons in the mail. Aside from Debra Hale-Shelton and Mike Wickline/Bill Simmons, not enough in-depth coverage in the D-G. Also weary of supporting Masterson's lunacy, even if its only 50 cents a day.
They hired him as a contractor, not an employee. Now that's lame. Not sure whose idea that was, but when you contract there seems to be more space between the masthead and the writer. Full immersion would seem to be more visceral, and produce more conflicted work, which is the vexation and the joy of the editorial page writer it seems. Still, it will be good to have him back, and hopefully he can provide some balance that offsets that lunatic in NW AR.
Also - I'm glad that the swag at SMG let him go. He always had too much class for those folks. After that incident with the Pine Bluff Commercial editorial page writer some years ago, those folks have the respect of no one. What a sick group. Brummett deserves to be in a better place than swimming with those losers.
towerdog, independent contracting is the way the news business is going. If you want to get technical, I'm an independent contractor who does Eat Arkansas. It keeps overhead lower for publishers who don't have to worry about things like health insurance and taking taxes out of paychecks.
Reckon “Arkansas’ Newspaper” will run Johnny B. on the front page like the Gazette did for a spell way back there in th’ day? I’ve never known of another paper to do that — before or since.
Brummett, if you’re reading this (and I know you are), my dear sweet sainted little mother loved you. Dad, too. But your being the first to be so politically provocative (and on the FRONT page at that), had her fearfully convinced that somebody would have you killed.
Dad assured her it would never happen. And sho’ nuff, he was right.
(So far, LOL!)
Arkansas liberals are an easily satisfied bunch. They will be so grateful to from time to time be treated to an op-ed column Arkansas Democrat Gazette that isn't screaming lunacy. In a saner world, Brummett would be a respectable centrist, taking his swipes (sometimes well-deserved, sometimes not so much) at both left and right. Having to play the "liberal" counter-weight to the ADG's avowed right-wing extremism will be a tough challenge for somebody who feels the need to apologize on behalf of liberalism in about every second column he writes.
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>>Departing Stephens Media for the Democrat-Gazette? To be edited by Paul Greenberg, who was known to take a crack or two at Brummett during the days they were on the same team? <<
Shirley this is not to imply in these days of scarce newspaper payroll checks that said columnist would ever alter, change or modify his opinions to something slightly more favored by the Editor-in-Chief ?
What's with this "one column for on-line use" ? Will it be available to online subscribers?
I was so disappointed to learn of John Brummett leaving the SWTR in Fort Smith. Luckily for me, we already also subscribe to the Democrat-Gazette and when I can find him, I will still be able to strongly disagree or agree with him at least three times a week. I am a conservative leaning, usually Republican voting, Christian who appreciates the insight Mr. Brummett's column provides.
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