Sports copy editor/designer, Tacoma News Tribune

Good guys all, but it's a strange setup. The SE isn't a traditional SE. He's actually minimally involved in sports (he oversees business and some other things at the behest of the EE, an old Kansas City Star buddy). That leaves two ASEs (one day, one night, down from the three they had six years ago) to handle the bulk of planning and execution. Those I've spoken to at the paper say there's a lot more of the latter than the former, which probably owes to the SE being so removed. The night guy is heavily involved in production, the day guy not at all except the occasional special section.

In a convoluted way, the SE situation is kind of a good thing. There's freedom to take a lot of risks, and the ASEs promote that.

 

Actually, its a vitriol for just about anything he posts on, not just Tacoma...

 

First, an apology. Had I realized you were a troll, I would not have responded.

But since I did, I'll thank you for tearing me a new one for marginalizing the woman's death as that was precisely what I was trying to do. But anyway ... suggesting the city and the paper colluded to cover this up is a stretch liable to tear your hammy.

There was a culture of shadow that could have been uprooted by some fine reporting ... which, sadly, did not occur. But it wasn't like these things are easy to do, so I am not about to rip and tear the Tribune for it. This is not a perfect world and this is not a perfect paper, but to label them as complicit in Crystal Brame's death is idiocy ... which is probably fitting, in your case.

If I was the reporter who missed this story ... and might have saved two lives, one of which was worth saving ... I would beat myself up over it for years. But I'd also know that it's hard to tell the difference between typical rumor mongering and the "holy shit" stuff that was going on in Tacoma.

But, please, go back to working on that Pulitzer winner you're churning out ... because lord knows where there is evil, Tom Petty shall forego sleep to make sure a worst-case scenario never occurs for fear he'll be Sunday-morning quarterbacked by some half-assed anonymous hack on a message board.

 

nice comeback asshole. obviously you have no clue to what the paper chose to run with and what they chose to bury. after the woman's death, then they came clean and did their best bill clinton impersonation.

but yeah, keep posting on something you either A. have no idea what happened, or B. you work there and are minimalizing what role the fucking paper did play by its employees not doing their jobs.

you come on here and talk a bunch of shit and then attempt to downplay one of the biggest screw-ups ever performed by a paper ... i guess other than hiring your dumb ass.

there weren't reporters who missed stories, there were editors who chose not to tell the truth while the guy's homicidal ways were unfolding before their eyes ... they admitted as much. but keep on minimalizing a woman's death you fuck, you do a good job of it.

 

i want to start with an apology to good old lester ... after reviewing the trib's own words, i might of been a little harsh.

when i said 'editors chose not to tell the truth,' i should have said editors either chose not to tell the truth or either were the stupidest people on the face of the earth and had a reporting staff that couldn't uncover a driveway under a single leaf.

the facts, as the trib lays out, says brame was concerned the procedings of his divorce (see putting a gun in his wife's grill and telling her 'accidents happen,' forcing her to call a female tacoma PDer who he wanted to have a three-some with, plus lots more), which could be uncovered by 'any reporter.' failed to make the trib until after the fact.

in fact, the fact the only 'news outlet' in town, which sniffed out the story was a web 'newspaper' that didn't even know how to correctly spell the name of its own city 'the new takhoman.'

the real news that broke on this story came from the web and one, or both ... i don't remember, seattle papers. so, let me make a correction here: either the trib chose not to cover this story as all hell cut loose downtown -- and i'm guessing more than one reporter covers city government -- or reporters and editors there were as ignorant as it comes. go ahead lester, which one was it?

this was the chief of police for christ's sake, not some line worker, who was having a mental breakdown in city hall. so lester, is the trib the stupidest paper in the united states or did staff choose not to run the lead up to good ol' chief brame's snuffing his wife and then himself while his kids watched?

 

Man, do you have a temper ... and a dirty mouth. Turns me on, really.

Anyhoo ... They had the divorce papers four days before the shooting, so it's not like they were sitting on this thing for months, or even weeks. And your contention that they have blood on their hands ignores the fact that the P-I running it a day before the shooting saved nobody and that the Trib ran it the day of the shooting (you know, in the morning, the shooting then happened in the afternoon) ... and then Brame offed his wife. Whatever, this is all pointless because the whole damn thing is a tragedy and the people to blame are Brame and his bosses, who also had the info (before the Trib did) and had the power to act on it (you know, officially), yet did not.

My defense of the Tribune is the approach of reason. Newspapers are in place to keep pinheads like Brame (power run amok) in check. It's not always easy work, or have you not done it? Trying to choose between rumor and fact and substantiate anything in these types of situations is difficult, period. That's why we lionize those among us who bring down the Brames of the world. It takes diligence, skill and sometimes an amazing amount of luck. In short, it's what makes our profession great but it also leaves us open to ridicule should we miss an opportunity. There is no question the Trib missed an opportunity here, but it hardly makes this a bad paper, so STFU.

BTW, Takhoma is not a misspelling of the city's name, but rather a native spelling that has a decent amount of history in the region. Something about a mountain that plays a pretty big role in the region; but here I am trying to tell you something about a city you obviously know so well.

OK ... I'm done with this.

 

Not to threadjack but .... what about the job? :-\

 

Word could come this week or next.

 

Who's doing the actual hiring, the contact person in the ad or is it the SE?

 

I believe the EE approves all newsroom hires, but Rob is conducting the search, doing the filtering and making the recommendation. He'd be the one to talk to, but it could be moot since it looks like there's consensus on this move.

 

lester - the fact my dirty mouth turns you on kinda turns me on as well ... i'm glad we can agree on that one thing.

as far as your explanation goes, i'll just agree to disagree with you. i saw the whole thing unfold and came away with a different play than you. something about that woman's death that -- obviously -- still bothers me.

as far as the takhoma goes, yeah, i know, thought i'd be just a touch sarcastic for the fine folks who haven't spent time living off I-5.