Now if he would go the opposite direction and give them more space then he might sell more papers.

The theory is that you can’t follow all your readers around looking over their shoulders and telling them what you were trying to say, and so your writing has to be very clear. Sure, someone will invariably misunderstand, but you have to write so that the bulk of readers will get it.

It’s less important if you are trying to write “Finnegan’s Wake” or “The Sound and the Fury,” but pretty critical if you’re writing an editorial for the Daily Bugle. That’s why newspaper writing is such an important training ground for so many authors.

Well, this reader thought you came across as bitter and condescending and rude to your readers. I’m willing to accept that it wasn’t your intention, but machs nix.

That’s a bit harsh.

I kind of like Mr. Hollifield’s moxie. It’s the opposite of a bland, bureaucratic non-apology, which is what you’d get from most editors and publishers. He’s got spunk.

Of course, Mr. Grant hates spunk.

Last weekend, there was a trade show in town and we had a booth. A woman came up and told me how poorly written the paper was and how generally lousy, and I’m nodding and telling her we do our best, and then she said, “Especially …” and mentioned a particular story. “Hey!” I said, “I wrote that story!”

She was completely embarrassed, but I was laughing and then I talked to her about how I had only a limited space in which to describe the talk (which she had attended) and why I made the choices I made on what to accentuate in my coverage. And we ended up having an interesting conversation. Turns out she hadn’t liked that story, which was about her favorite author, but after talking it out, she was somewhat mollified and we parted with smiles and laughter and I think she understands a little more about how decisions are made.

Of course, that bitter, condescending jerk who berates his readers and thinks of them as losers is still employed …

Dear Mr. Hollifield,

My name is Mike Cope, and I’m a cartoonist from Stoney Creek, Ontario (a small-town about 45 mins. away from Toronto). I read your “Comics-free newspaper” article online after seeing it mentioned on The Daily Cartoonist. If you’re not familiar with this website, it’s an excellent source of industry news for professional cartoonists and editors alike.

After posting some thoughts regarding your article, I thought that a friendly e-mail couldn’t hurt … Especially considering the types of messages you appear to have received lately from irate comic fans. I know that the role of an editor is not easy, especially one in a small-town paper, and so I applaud you for writing and sharing such a revealing article. What really struck a chord with me was your comment, “provided you are not reading this on the Internet for free and shortening my already regrettable career.”

Believe it or not, I can completely relate.

Personally, I’m saddened by the current state of newspapers (big or small). I’ve always wanted to become a newspaper cartoonist, but for us “younger” cartoonists, it’s becoming more and more difficult to break-into the business as subscription numbers decline and comic pages continue to shrink. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame editors for the fact that they have to find ways to cut costs — businesses are currently struggling everywhere. Whether either group would like to admit it or not, cartoonists and editors are in this battle together.

Ironically, it was legendary newspaper editors like Hearst and Pulitzer who created the first funny pages to attract readers. The fact that your single day mistake of accidentally leaving the comics out of the newspaper generated such an emotional response from your readers, to me, demonstrates that the funnies still have a purpose and future with newspapers.

I don’t know if you enjoy cartoons, yourself, but I hope you consider the value that your comics page can serve, rather than listening to those who just call you an idiot.

Kind regards,

Mike Cope
Stoney Creek, Ontario
Canada

He admits upfront that his is a “small-town newspaper,” yet the article is mixed with hints of the same doom and gloom being faced by the big newspapers in the big cities.

Bitter? I don’t think so.

Sarcastic? Definitely.

Truthful? …

“Your newspaper, the one you hold in your hands right now, provided you are not reading this on the Internet for free and shortening my already regrettable career …”

I don’t think this editor is ignorant or stupid. I think he’s well aware of what his current situation is, and what the state of the industry is like.

Which makes me wonder, was this a social experiment? Did they make a “mistake” to see what kind of reaction (if any) they’d receive?

Regardless, you have to think about WHO is reading the comics section of a small-town newspaper? Of that group, WHO is going to write/call the editor when “THEIR” comics are missing? And how eloquent are they going to be in their complaint?

“And on and on it went. Readers may not concur as to what particular comic strip is the most beloved, but they can all agree on this: I am an idiot.

And that’s what I learned this week in my day job as a small-town newspaper editor.”

I agree with the editor. A comics-free newspaper is no laughing matter.

Simply because it’s not taught in J-school. All of these people coming out to J-school look down on features in general, thinking it’s beneath their editorial dignity. REAL newsmen don’t have anything to do with the features section! So they’ve completely lost touch with the newspaper BUSINESS, which they’ve completely turned over to the corporate bean counters, who are even more clueless, as they only look at the bottom line without understanding what produces the bottom line.

It’s utterly maddening, made worse when you try to explain this to any editor, who just give you a blank stare. They just don’t want to deal with comics, even though it’s the only thing that’s holding on to what few readers they still have and providing what few jobs remain in newspapers.

Death by ignorance and stupidity.

By the way, I’m familiar with Marion, NC, and have perused copies of the McDowell News on several occasions over the years. Marion’s a long way Winston-Salem and much closer to Asheville.