Probably it’s only a minor thing but it’s certainly an interesting thing, a revealing thing.
As part of its escalating McDonaldization of the news, the Tribune conglomerate sends out modules of prepackaged news, all edited and headlined, for the dim bulb yokels in its local papers who are presumed to be too dull to know how to do it themselves. The faraway chain saves pots of money by dumping the local editors whose skills and institutional knowledge are merely superfluous.
Who cares?
Well, in Thursday’s Hartford Courant there is a wire story from the Chicago marionette-masters (you can tell because the typeface is clumsily different and the headline style is not the same as the rest of the paper) about developments in the case of the late and unendingly despicable Rev. Marcial Maciel. Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, was revealed to be a womanizer and seminarian-molester and a bad guy at many levels. The Vatican even took action, which it so seldom does against one if its favorites. An investigation has now been concluded, the new story says.
OK, good.
In the middle of the story is a type-blurb:
“Secrets to the Grave
“The Rev. Marcial Maciel died in 2008. He never admitted to sexual abuse charges, a story Tribune Newspapers broke in 1998.â€
OK, not so good.
The Hartford Courant broke the story in 1997. It was a vaunted journalistic achievement by the sainted Gerald Renner and was hailed internationally for the depth of the reporting under ferocious circumstances. The story went on to win award after award and a successful book was a result. It was a proud moment for the Courant and the much-beloved Gerry Renner.
†… a story Tribune Newspapers broke in 1998″
It’s nice that The Hartford Courant graciously surrenders credit, and accuracy, to give “Tribune Newspapers†the attaboy for breaking the story. The Courant is now part of the Tribune empire, which relayed the wire story about the latest developments and created the blurb. However, the Courant was not at all a “Tribune Newspaper†in 1998 — or even 1997 when the Renner revelations were printed. The Tribune took over the Times-Mirror chain in 2000. No, no Tribune newspaper broke the story. It was something of genuine excellence with international consequences that the Courant itself did.
You’d think someone at 06115 might have known that. You’d think that a genuine triumph so essentially a part of the paper’s DNA would have registered enough to be proud of, rather than allowing it to be fobbed off to someone or something else that had no part whatever in its publication. You’d think they’d maybe even get the date right.
But the locals are not to tamper with the hand-me-down modules coming in from On High. Decisions made in Chicago dominate the pesky accuracy and annoying knowledge elsewhere. Or maybe the cost-cutting has had the effect of reducing the numbers of people who might have even noticed. Or cared. Or maybe there’s so few left who might even know in the first place. None of the options is particularly comforting.
A minor thing?
If they can’t get that right …
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