Letter to Romenesko
From STEVE CHAPMAN (pictured), Chicago Tribune columnist: After cancelling Brent Bozell’s column upon learning it was ghostwritten, the editorial page editor of the Quad City Times said Bozell and his assistant “are among the old-time columnists who keep cranking 700 word columns for print products with 500-word spaces.”

As a 700-word guy of long standing, I’m curious to know if other editors feel op-ed columns should be much shorter.

Post in comments, or send me an email to post. || Read comments from my Facebook friends and subscribers.

* Earlier: Bozell/Graham crank out 700-word columns for 500-word spaces (jimromenesko.com)

150 journalism cliches. A milestone for the @PostOutlook List of Things We Do Not Say: http://t.co/UmHNxwAl0M

— Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) February 27, 2014

The list was first posted here about a year ago and, at last check, had 193 comments.

From Robert Draper’s “John Dingell and the Tea Party” in Politico Magazine

Update: I emailed Alex Storozynski of the Kosciuszko Foundation after being told that he contacted Draper. He replied:

Draper said he would take out the word “Polack” from his copy. The word Polack in the U.S. is a derogatory term for Polish immigrants and as I am the son of immigrants, for me it means someone is making fun of my parents. …

If he changes the copy as he has promised to do, I think that would settle it.

It’s still in his story, as of 5 p.m. ET.

* “It appears the writer employed a paraphrased stream-of-consciousness in that segment” (facebook.com)
* John Dingell and the Tea Party (politico.com) | @draperrobert

Orlando Sentinel photographers have been told their old positions are being eliminated and they have until tomorrow to apply for new “videocentric” jobs at the Tribune-owned newspaper, according to the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA.

Staffers will learn on March 10 if they still have a job with the paper. The Sentinel currently has nine staff photographers, “and in the new job definitions there will only be five positions where that’s what the person does primarily,” a Sentinel source tells NPPA. That person adds:

There are two new positions defined as ‘mobile photojournalists’ who will be shooting video in the field on iPhones or iPads, not using DSLR cameras, and posting video to the Web. And there will be two video editing positions, two video coordinator positions, and two manager’s positions.

In an email and a phone message, I asked in Sentinel design, graphics and multimedia editor Todd Stewart about NPPA’s report. I also asked editor Avido Khahaifa for comment. Update: Khahaifa’s secretary said the editor wasn’t available to speak to me. She promised to give him my number. | If you know more, or have memos, please contact me at jim@jimromenesko.com.

* Photo upheaval at Orlando Sentinel (nppa.org)

I invited the Wall Street Journal to comment on this “tale of two newspapers” tweet that went viral last night. I figured the paper would say something like, ‘We just picked up the Associated Press’s headline,” which it did. (Many papers used it.) Instead, Journal spokesperson Colleen Schwartz told me in an email: “We have no comment.”

* A tale of two newspapers – WaPo and WSJ tweets compared (@samsteinhp)
* WSJ has a different point of view it would like to share with you (gawker.com)
* “Today’s headline sponsored by Westboro Baptist Church” (@markmcan)

Reaction from my Facebook comments:
“When I was at NPR editing All Things Considered, the afternoon news magazine, we were often the beneficiary of stories that Morning Edition wouldn’t run because the producer felt they were inappropriate for that time of day. … Read more of this comment.

* Living in Florida can be a real pain (tampabay.com)

* Annapolis police spokesperson says “it’s disheartening to have our chief attacked” for not realizing he’s quoting from a goofy pot story posted on a satirical website. (capitalgazette.com)
* “Stripped,” a new documentary, “is a big valentine to comics,” says Bill Watterson. (washingtonpost.com)
* Noted: “There is nothing that is secret about how to fact-check.” (americanpressinstitute.org)
* Boston Globe sees Florida spring training as a circulation opportunity. (niemanlab.org)
* How the Arizona Republic played the Gov. Jan Brewer‘s veto on page one. (newseum.org)
* NPR health reporter Julie Rovner has been named Robin Toner Distinguished Fellow by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (kff.org)
* Detroit News editorial: “I want the government to stay out of my newsroom.” (detroitnews.com)
* Irish Farmers Journal is doing quite well, even with a paywall. (irishtimes.com)
* Rem Rieder: I don’t buy all of Marc Andreessen‘s views on the future of journalism. (usatoday.com)
* #FreeAJStaff. (aljazeera.com)
* The Week launches Speed Reads, “dedicated to publishing short, shareable and trending content.” (theweek.com)
* Where the Rocky Mountain News business staff landed. (talkingbiznews.com)

* Summary of findings: The Web at 25 (pewinternet.org)
* In defense of landlines (facebook.com/jimromenesko)