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Here's the thing: McHugh didn't exactly preside over the golden era of the Times Leader. The newsroom staff was sliced from almost 100 to around 65. All the community weeklies were closed. The effort to conquer Hazleton (haters, if you think the CV/TL/Scranton Times is bad, check out the Hazleton Standard-Speaker) was abandoned after God knows how much time, effort, money, blood and sweat.
At the same time, the newspaper went through department heads like water. And Allison Walzer, whose career started and ended at the TL, saw fit to sue him after she was disappeared in early 2004 with only a biz brief to mark her departure. Some would argue that McHugh was nothing more than a tool for KR, Tony Ridder, and the rest.
My point: the TL newsroom knows all this, and still pulls the bush-league stunt of the happy-happy farewell editorial about what a saint Pat is. Speaking personally, my experiences with him were mostly positive. I wish him well. But a full and fair accounting of his time in Wilkes-Barre would have shown a mixed bag at best and a newspaper with a smaller staff and circulation at worst.
Farewell and don't let the door hit you on the way out Pat!! He micro-managed everything from news to circulation, all the way down to "forcing" all entry level and higher managers to be leadership level givers to the United Way. I don't mind donating; however, it sucks to have some rich asshole tell you how much you have to give and then take credit for everyone elses "donations". There were months when we could not spend $$ on copy paper, but we could spen thousands of dollars on Pat's pet projects like his damn wrestling tournament.
7 comments:
Just how many more love-for-Pat pieces must TL readers be forced to endure?
Don't you love how rich bosses volunteer your time for you. We *"strongly encourage"* you to...
It makes me sick.
Here's the thing: McHugh didn't exactly preside over the golden era of the Times Leader. The newsroom staff was sliced from almost 100 to around 65. All the community weeklies were closed. The effort to conquer Hazleton (haters, if you think the CV/TL/Scranton Times is bad, check out the Hazleton Standard-Speaker) was abandoned after God knows how much time, effort, money, blood and sweat.
At the same time, the newspaper went through department heads like water. And Allison Walzer, whose career started and ended at the TL, saw fit to sue him after she was disappeared in early 2004 with only a biz brief to mark her departure. Some would argue that McHugh was nothing more than a tool for KR, Tony Ridder, and the rest.
My point: the TL newsroom knows all this, and still pulls the bush-league stunt of the happy-happy farewell editorial about what a saint Pat is. Speaking personally, my experiences with him were mostly positive. I wish him well. But a full and fair accounting of his time in Wilkes-Barre would have shown a mixed bag at best and a newspaper with a smaller staff and circulation at worst.
"As recently as a few weeks ago, for example, he OK’d the use of a forklift to help unload food bound for flood victims."
Wow, hard to believe the Nobel Prize folks haven't come calling yet.
...and he has an infectious laugh, and cooks ribs. These are the things of which legends are made.
The pithy prose of Jean Lacoe, no doubt. Someone call the Pulitzer committee!
Farewell and don't let the door hit you on the way out Pat!! He micro-managed everything from news to circulation, all the way down to "forcing" all entry level and higher managers to be leadership level givers to the United Way. I don't mind donating; however, it sucks to have some rich asshole tell you how much you have to give and then take credit for everyone elses "donations". There were months when we could not spend $$ on copy paper, but we could spen thousands of dollars on Pat's pet projects like his damn wrestling tournament.
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