Yesterday, we laid another marker down on the journey of newspapers in this digital age. Not many noticed and, fittingly, I read about it online at “The Wrap.” The headline screamed across my computer screen:
Chicago Tribune Eliminates Film Critic Role, Michael Phillips Takes Buyout
The Wrap reports that “Film critic Michael Phillips has taken a buyout at the Chicago Tribune after he says the paper eliminated the role.”
Phillips posted this on X:
“Writing about a valiant and inspiring city and its champions of cinema, and the individual talents who shine, has been great for my soul. New adventures await. To all the humans on this insanely compromised platform: Thanks for reading.”
Most of us remember the day when both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times featured rival film critics — Gene Siskel for the Trib and Roger Ebert for the Sun-Times. They eventually collaborated on television to become the best-known film critics in America.
I don’t note the journalistic passing of film critics in Chicago to say anything other than it’s another signpost in the evolution of print journalism. Here lies the Siskel and Ebert legacy.
Whatever comes next, may it be as excellent.
Postscript: It’s not just newspapers that are changing. MSNBC is being spun off by NBC, changing its name to MS NOW, which stands for, wait for it, "My Source News Opinion World." It’s a lame effort at renaming what was admittedly a lame cable “news” organization. At least it has “opinion” in the name now. As the Wall Street Journal's Kyle Smith wrote: "Sounds like a fundraiser for multiple sclerosis."
In Case You Missed It
Commanding the News Desk and selecting news for your edification this morning is Amy from North Dakota State. Go, Thundering Herd, go! She likes Walter Lippman’s take on journalism: “To tell the truth and to shame the devil.” She also reminds Properly Subversive readers to hit the subscribe button and support what we do here. If you read only this far, you’re missing a lot. The spirit animal she has chosen for today is below, followed by the news.
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