Comments on: A Shrug From The City Of Broad Shoulders http://deanesmay.com/2008/12/08/a-shrug-from-the-city-of-broad-shoulders/ Defending the liberal tradition in history, science, and philosophy. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:15:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ArnoldHarris http://deanesmay.com/2008/12/08/a-shrug-from-the-city-of-broad-shoulders/#comment-166430 ArnoldHarris Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:23:31 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/12/08/a-shrug-from-the-city-of-broad-shoulders/#comment-166430 The Chicago Tribune has stood for little more than nothing since the death of Colonel Robert R McCormick, its long-time and most important controlling influence, in 1955.  Along with all of Chicagoland, I grew through childhood and the coming of adulthood in the shadow of that man's thunderous and rigid spirit. Hard-core right winger? Dedicated isolationist? Idiosyncratic to his very core? He was all of that and much more. But above all, he stood for immutable principles of governance, economy and civic affairs. Did most of us Chicagoans of that era disagree with some of this stances, including some that -- seen in retrospect -- where not so outrageous as the conventional wisdom then held as truth? Yes, indeed. But Colonel McCormick and the Chicago Tribune were seen even by people who feared and hated him and his newspaper as the rockbed of an unshakeable set of core values that truly bespoke the upper Middle Western states. Along with the rest of America, I laughed along with Harry Truman that morning the HST held up a copy to the Chicago Tribune, with its banner headline proclaiming, after the 1948 presidential election counts were in:  <strong>"DEWEY BEATS  TRUMAN" </strong>Because we all do  wishful thinking, and in that respect, the legendary publisher of the Trib was no different from the rest of us mortals. Arnold Harris Mount Horeb WI The Chicago Tribune has stood for little more than nothing since the death of Colonel Robert R McCormick, its long-time and most important controlling influence, in 1955.  Along with all of Chicagoland, I grew through childhood and the coming of adulthood in the shadow of that man’s thunderous and rigid spirit.

Hard-core right winger? Dedicated isolationist? Idiosyncratic to his very core? He was all of that and much more. But above all, he stood for immutable principles of governance, economy and civic affairs.

Did most of us Chicagoans of that era disagree with some of this stances, including some that — seen in retrospect — where not so outrageous as the conventional wisdom then held as truth? Yes, indeed.

But Colonel McCormick and the Chicago Tribune were seen even by people who feared and hated him and his newspaper as the rockbed of an unshakeable set of core values that truly bespoke the upper Middle Western states.

Along with the rest of America, I laughed along with Harry Truman that morning the HST held up a copy to the Chicago Tribune, with its banner headline proclaiming, after the 1948 presidential election counts were in: 

"DEWEY BEATS  TRUMAN"

Because we all do  wishful thinking, and in that respect, the legendary publisher of the Trib was no different from the rest of us mortals.

Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI

]]> By: Dean Esmay http://deanesmay.com/2008/12/08/a-shrug-from-the-city-of-broad-shoulders/#comment-166424 Dean Esmay Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:55:25 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/12/08/a-shrug-from-the-city-of-broad-shoulders/#comment-166424 Nah, we'll probably always have a New York Times. It's too good a paper, as often as it's disgusted me the last few years. I still will rarely intentionally link one of their articles, but I know one day they'll get competent management one way or the other. In the meantime I'm a little sad to see the Chicago Tribune go, as it's the better of Chicago's big papers. But as I see it, the rise of the digital age basically means what we need are probably a dozen or so news sources that cover things nationally and internationally on the old school model. And by "new sources" I mean television, radio, and text all; maybe a dozen or sources to do that. Regionalized and specialized news will otherwise be where the game is. It's still a few years away, but not too many; deadtree is a dead format. Nah, we’ll probably always have a New York Times. It’s too good a paper, as often as it’s disgusted me the last few years. I still will rarely intentionally link one of their articles, but I know one day they’ll get competent management one way or the other.

In the meantime I’m a little sad to see the Chicago Tribune go, as it’s the better of Chicago’s big papers. But as I see it, the rise of the digital age basically means what we need are probably a dozen or so news sources that cover things nationally and internationally on the old school model. And by "new sources" I mean television, radio, and text all; maybe a dozen or sources to do that. Regionalized and specialized news will otherwise be where the game is.

It’s still a few years away, but not too many; deadtree is a dead format.

]]> By: Scott Kirwin http://deanesmay.com/2008/12/08/a-shrug-from-the-city-of-broad-shoulders/#comment-166422 Scott Kirwin Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:04:47 +0000 http://deanesmay.com/2008/12/08/a-shrug-from-the-city-of-broad-shoulders/#comment-166422 Next: the New York Times. Next: the New York Times.

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