It's official (now): Whitlock leaving the KC Star

Fred (or Jason, whichever), there might be a reason you're the only one.

And if you go back to page 7, you'll find at least one KC Star reporter who has weighed in here.

 

Bubbler face palms.

 

Just Bubbler being Bubbler

 

Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?

 

He probably has multiple names and didn't realize he was logged in as Fredrick. Not a big deal.

 

Well, PopeDirkBenedict thinks that even if we stipulate (for the sake of argument) that everything Whitlock said on that four-hour show was the stone-cold truth, he does not come off well at all. This isn't Daniel Ellsberg sneaking the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times. Other than humiliating the families of the people involved -- I can't imagine how Fannin's daughter felt after Whitlock stopped gorging himself on BBQ long enough to label her father a pot-smoking drunk who was diddling his underling -- he brought no glory upon himself for this selfless act of truth-telling.

What Whitlock did was only important to the extent it showed his willingness to do anything to build his personal brand. Whitlock wasn't revealing serious ethical lapses that would bear on the quality and credence of the KC Star's reporting (i.e. plagarism or secretly paying sources). Whitlock wasn't revealing serious criminal activity (and no, pot-smoking does not count). Whitlock revealed that the management of the KC Star may be incompetent, may play favorites and may involve supervisors having sexual relationships with subordinates. He revealed that the bureaucracy of the newspaper sometimes stifles progress for no other reason than it is new and we've never done it that way before. Oh mercy me, please fetch my fainting couch -- this cannot possibly be true!

In other words, Whitlock spent four hours telling his listeners that the KC Star is like newsrooms, law offices, hospitals, police stations, auto dealerships, grocery stores and factories all over the country. Put enough employees in one place and politics, sex and bureaucracy will break out. Whitlock aired the Star's dirty laundry because he could. There is a great quote about Harry Shearer in the SNL Uncensored book: "Harry Shearer will shit on you to the precise degree that it's cost-free; he's a total ass-kisser with important people." That is Whitlock's rant in a nutshell. Airing dirty laundry for the sake of publicity does not make you a truth-telling hero; it makes you just another sportswriter shitting on people cost-free so you can keep bojangling for Andy Jackson and Ben Franklin.

 

That's what she said!

(I deleted the repeated post...stupid crappy laptop has more issues than Sally Draper)

 

Pope, that was fan-freaking-tastic. Bravo.

 

Pope Benedict ... post of the month, maybe year.

Frederick, your serve.

 

With all due respect, give me a break. His daughter? Do we reporters give a fuck about family members when we write stories about the people we cover??
I think Whitlock said there was a "toxic environment" under Fannin and he alleged drug use (if you call marijuana a drug) and promoting people because of inappropriate relations.
We in our media business would write about this stuff if we found out the GM of a team did it. So don't give me the "daughter" stuff.
Cmon what are you saying there? Big bad Jason made the daughter feel oh, so bad.
Well, according to that KC other website, Mr. Fannin has been getting in some trouble daughter probably knows about.
As far as the nice post from the only KC Star staffer here, hmmm he didn't mention Jason at all.

Advantage Fredrick?!

 

Jimmy's down!