By Dan Kennedy • The press, politics, technology, culture and other passions

Tanked and in the tank

Even though I’m 52, I’m just a bit too young to have experienced the (ahem) golden era of newspapering, when reporters drank like fish and didn’t just cover politicians but worked for them in their spare time.

Good thing we’ve got the Brits to keep that tradition alive. (Obligatory forelock-tugging: I’m sure no one at the Guardian would ever engage in such disgraceful behavior!) Thanks, Brian, even though you’re taking this too seriously. If this clown was doing anything other than costing Obama votes, I’d be surprised.


Discover more from Media Nation

Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.

Previous

Sarah Palin’s real enemies

Next

Beating the press

2 Comments

  1. MeTheSheeple

    Hellloooooooooo the only good foreign movies are the ones with subtitles. You silly media elitist.

  2. massmarrier

    I’m a bit older, but I did get in at the end of that olden, golden era. When I started working dailies as part of my journalism school classes, everyone drank coffee and smoked cigarettes all shift. Most editors seemed to keep a bottle of bourbon in a desk drawer. We didn’t drink during the work time but frequently had one or two with the editor after churning out multiple stories or editing many. There was a catharsis that I’ve never been able to duplicate. They guys from downstairs would bring up the paper, we’d hold our work for the day — feeling good for the well done and knowing we’d correct anything wrong or lacking the next day. Then having worked magazines and turned out a couple of books, I found the distance from the writing very unsatisfying. I was on to other things and the emotional and intellectual zing wasn’t there. In contrast to the Mail lout, back then being unable to hold your booze was a disgrace.

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén