HarryShearer.com

In the days when the New York Times was The Grey Lady, a sometimes-ponderous read, a more lively brand of seriousness was available at The Washington Post. It seemed ahead in the game of writing, as opposed to just typing. As recently as the tenure of Eric Wemple (now at the NYT), the Post offered a powerful and cogent report on its media environment. And even after brutal staff cuts year after year, the paper still covered the world, and its hometown, with what my friend Derek Smalls would describe as “Balls”. (https://www.deezer.com/search/Derek%20Smalls.%20%20Balls)

Suddenly all that is a distant memory. It took a while, but media observers have now connected the money-saving evisceration of the Post’s newsroom with its owner’s $75 million “investment” in a pseudo-doc about, and produced by, the wife of the Felon-in-Chief. The effrontery of the former is a perfect match for the lap-doggery of the latter. There is, however, one person who dissents from the chorus of disapproval. He’s not actually among us any more but, improbably enough, he got into heaven, and, even more improbably, he’s still taping. You can hear his celebratory conversation with H.R. Haldeman on my podcast this week (harryshearer.com and most podcast platforms). Mr. Bezos would be flattered.