SFist: The Blog Post Too Hot for SF Weekly?

guest

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:22:21 -0800

the new yorkers don't burn because it hurts their egos to see denver/ and phoenix run their paper. they burn because the new times is ruining a once-great paper (which, though it had faults was still largely intact) and because people from faraway second-tier cities are imposing guidelines and taste to a paper in new york, a city they know nothing about and, worse, actually hate and don't respect. this means they are killing writers off that actually brought readers and hits to the paper, ridgeway, xgau being the most obvious idiotic decisions, and choosing articles based on a model that new yorkers do not respond to. the voice's music section had been a shambles for a long time, but the eddy section still used heavy hitting critics; the new times has no need for criticism. this wouldn't be problematic if our readers weren't interested in it either, but i am pretty sure they are. turning your back on the core of long-term readers who have followed the voice for more than 20 something years is not really a good business decision. anyway, that's why the new yorkers are burning. The new times are systematically destroying a legendary paper, and instead of leaving well enough alone, because they are arrogant, with huge chips on their shoulders and want 'to show us' (not getting that by showing 'us' they are just showing themselves), they continue to destroy it. RIP Village Voice. Long live the New York New Times.

guest

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:37:49 -0800

I certainly don't blame Stroud for becoming disillusioned (young, free, impetuous and principled always makes exciting copy, and good on him), but I do know that he was not "plucked from the other coast" to spearhead the Weekly's blogs. As the Chron blog makes clear, he moved here with a girlfriend, shuffled through a few jobs, then hired on at the Weekly. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=3&entry_id=19117#readmore

guest

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:04:16 -0800

"Wow, that's the most immature way to leave a job I've ever seen. That's the problem with so many bloggers -- they think everyone cares about their insecurities and deeply muddled ideological concerns." Being that you care so little, I'm curious not only as to why you read the blog in the first place, but why you went the extra step to post a comment on it. That's as bad as going to a bar and complaining that they serve booze prior to getting shit-faced. It would be one thing if this were a cover story in print. However, this is a blog and exactly where this kind of material belongs.

guest

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:12:57 -0800

It's true that I didn't give a customary two-week notice, and also true that I couldn't handle my job. But let's be clear: At issue was 1) the low threshold for what I'd tolerate from my superiors re: pushing forward the VVM glacier, and 2) the feeling that my work was too rushed to be affecting to anyone. Sorry if I was too long-winded to adequately explain that earlier. But whatever. I, too, am ready to move on to other topics. Did someone say something about Iraq? -Stroud

guest

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:46:14 -0800

"Hey, I'm outa here this Friday". That's "given proper quitting notice"? Oh, and the same day mentioning the sensitive lawsuit during his whinny salutation? Nice.

guest

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:41:07 -0800

Matt invented the freakin boxing event. VVM approved his idea. Before making shit up, why don't you verify your facts... bad blog, bad.

guest

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:34:18 -0800

Obviously you care enough about a blogger's "insecurities and deeply muddled ideological concerns" to take time out of your busy day to read them and comment on them. Wow... what a sensitive moron. What makes this news of interest? Everyone commenting here is in the biz. We are all pissing and moaning about things that are irrelevant. As someone who worked with Mat, I can say this was all invented in his head, and his actions after his termination, show that he wasn't mature enough for the position. He wasn't forced out... quite the opposite. He was well liked, and given much responsibility. He couldn't handle his job... plain and simple. I feel sorry for him... the Guardian... and all of us wasting our time on this crappy blog. Oh, by the way, 372 more Iraqi children were just murdered in the streets by our family memebers, but let's keep this thread going.

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:57:52 -0800

The Guardian's business model is to compete with the dozen or more alternative papers in the bay area, as they have done for thirty years. The Weekly's business model is to drive the other alternative papers out of business in order to monopolize ad revenue and editorial voice. I would say that over time the company that can compete in a media ecosystem is the company most likely to survive long term, and the company that must operate as a monopoly is brittle and inflexible to sudden changes in business climate.

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:53:09 -0800

There are things I like about both weeklies, but yes, SF Weekly is not locally owned and looks exactly like the Westword in Denver, another New Times paper. So it sucks compared to our dear local Guardian.

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:52:39 -0800

Obviously you care enough about a blogger's "insecurities and deeply muddled ideological concerns" to take time out of your busy day to read them and comment on them.

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:11:56 -0800

Wow, that's the most immature way to leave a job I've ever seen. That's the problem with so many bloggers -- they think everyone cares about their insecurities and deeply muddled ideological concerns. And to clarify -- what Stroud send in is not his final post, though it's similar. The final post that was briefly online did mention the Weekly-Guardian lawsuit, made no reference to editors issuing orders to sling mud at the Guardian.

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 02:11:47 -0800

bring back mecklin, cuz walsh would get his ass handed to him by redmond much less b3. these guys are fucking up every paper they touch!

guest

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:15:28 -0800

I know it's a travesty, but over the years I have been seriously -- and quite literally -- LOLing every time I think of big-city journalism in places like New York being dictated from Phoenix. Oh, how it must burn the egos there.

guest

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:37:45 -0800

We are all fucking miserable at the Voice in New York - that is all of us who worked there pre-merger and who haven't been laid-off... YET. What kind of idiots lay off Robert Christgau for chrissake? love him or hate him, he is a living legend. New Times are like the Borg. They come in and assimilate everything to the standard of Phoenix. All their papers are the same. Same number of stories, same number of staff. How much goes on in Phoenix in a given week? Fucking nothing, that's what. Thanks David Scheiderman for selling us all out, asshole.

guest

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:04:51 -0800

As the guy who was going to fight Matt, I have a few things to add to the thread. First off, Matt and I got along fine, or as well as you can when it's 6 in the morning and your muscles are hurting all over. I enjoyed his blog posts, and the idea of writing each day after training...Judging from his post he'd probably have been happier working at the Guardian, where I've had nothing but support from my coworkers and bosses (who sit upstairs and are more than happy to talk anytime). But that's probably why I've been working here for 4 years. Anyway, I take offense to his comment that we were somehow making fools of ourselves over this. If he needed to prove something to his employers or if he felt that failure was a big deal, then that's on him. I signed up for this to go through 6 rigorous weeks of training and to better myself, first and foremost. The fight at the end was going to be serious for me, but as a reward for making it through this. He kind of reminds me of Ivan Drago at the end of Rocky 4 when he turns on his elite training staff and cries out that he did it, "FOR ME!" C'mon Matt, like a sloppy fight is going to effect a lawsuit... So, whatever. I will see the bootcamp through and fight someone else, and win or lose be proud of my accomplishment. It's just too bad that being affiliated with the Weakly made it so that Matt didn't get to enjoy the same finality...Then again, since the Weakly is involved I'm not surprised...RobQ

RollingJ415

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:49:39 -0800

Wow, major bummer. I'd had some short email conversations with Matt and he seemed like a really smart, motivated guy.

Jeremy_notSFist

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:26:45 -0800

Nice to see that the Village Voice is promoting a diverse range of opinions on their blogs. It's just this kind of open-mindedness that fosters successful online communities . . . not. Big ups to Matt for sticking to his principles and for a very well written resignation letter.