Incest fest at the P-C
Right above Kurt Michael Friese’s column in today’s Press-Citizen is Michael Knock’s column all about Kurt Michael Friese.
But nowhere in the 3,000-inch story (a Q-and-A style piece takes up the majority of the the feature front and then jumps inside for another half-page of broadsheet real estate) about Mr. Friese’s new book does anyone acknowledges that Mr. Friese regularly contributes the “Table Wine” column to the paper.
OK, OK. We’re a small media market and Mr. Friese has practically cornered the local food writing market. The book was going to get press (even the one outlet Mr. Friese doesn’t write for got in on the love fest.) But some editor should have inserted high Mr. Knock’s column a very short phrase — “who writes a column for this paper” — between the words “Freise” and “has just published the book…”
It would have the added advantage of making the Press-Citizen look relevant for once in its history.
I should add that what makes this offense worse is that when an acquaintance complained about the lack of disclosure in an e-mail addressed to the section’s editor, the complaint was passed off to Mr. Knock (who handled it with aplomb, I might add).
But the blame lies not with Mr. Knock but rather the local editor. (You remember editors, don’t you? The people who read and guided their writers to make them better? The ones that are charged with making newspapers better than the printed ravings of the unwashed masses?)
At least she doesn’t let Mr. Friese get away with slapping “chef” on the beginning of his byline.
