So I was reading the latest story on the whole sordid Blagojevich scandal today on the Chicago Tribune’s website when I noticed this lovely graphic in the bottom-right corner titled “Colonel Tribune Recommends”. Colonel Tribune is apparently the Chicago Tribune’s “Web Ambassador”.
Now folks, this is just a stroke (pardon the pun) of brilliance. Faced with staff layoffs and crippling ad revenue declines, the Chicago Tribune knew that it had to somehow embrace this brave, new media world. And what’s a more fitting way to depict an obsolete, dying dinosaur like the Chicago Tribune than a confused-looking, disoriented old man wearing a hat made out of newspaper?
Intrigued, I did a bit more looking into Col. Tribune. He has his own page on the Tribune’s website, complete with links to his Facebook profile, Flickr feed, and Twitter page. It seems that the Colonel is quite the Web-2.0-savvy curmudgeon!
I checked out the Colonel’s Flickr feed and found to my horror that apparently wearing newspaper hats is now very hip in Chicago. These people look about as excited as someone who was forced to attend a boring company-sponsored after-hours party on a Friday night. Ahem…
So, welcome to the exciting world of the World Wide Web, Col. Tribune! I’m sure you’ll do your company proud as its public web ambassador while it continues its inevitable death spiral towards oblivion. Now get off my lawn.
December 31st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Thank you for the (digital) ink, Toby.
Another bit of information: I am, essentially, the father of the modern media empire, so I’m steeped in history.
Also, you may like this.
Cheers!
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Col. Tribune,
Thanks for the information; since you took the time to reply, I’ll take my tongue out of my cheek for a moment to respond.
I assumed (or at least hoped, since it would at least explain the apparent incongruity of appearance vs. purpose) that the Col. Tribune likeness was inspired by some historic figure within the Tribune, and I’m sure a bit more searching would have explained as much. But the thing is… I just don’t care.
I don’t mean for that to sound callous, but Col. Tribune being “steeped in history” just doesn’t interest me in the slightest. I don’t care about his history or how the “modern media empire” came into being. What I do care about is a news publication that is objective in its reporting and balanced (i.e. represents all sides equally) in its editorial content. And by those measures, American newspapers in general, and yours in particular, have failed miserably.
As a small-government fiscal conservative, I was appalled by the full-scale endorsement of Obama’s candidacy by the mass media (not only in its editorial content, but in its supposedly objective reporting as well) and its unbridled glee at his election.
So, I obviously am taking quite a bit of solace (and yes, a healthy dose of schadenfreude) in the fact that these same newspapers are in such dire straits financially, and the “modern media empire” you so treasure is quickly falling apart. I say: good riddance. What it will be replaced with, I don’t know, but as far as I’m concerned it can’t happen soon enough.
Your selection of Col. McCormick as your “web ambassador” is very telling of your attitude towards the internet. Rather than taking daring risks to fully embrace the web, you bury your head in the sand and cling to a relic from a bygone era when newspapers ruled the roost, complete with obviously-staged Flickr photos in an attempt to make wearing a newspaper on your head seem hip.
While I intend no disrespect towards the man (who, from the article you linked, served his country honorably and fulfilled the American dream by turning hard work and perseverence into a good deal of success), looking back towards Col. McCormick isn’t going to help your publication. The system of localized monopolies in advertising and content on which newspapers depend will soon be gone. And while I understand and appreciate the value that trained, professional newspaper journalists and editors provide towards news reporting and analysis, your industry will need to figure out how to make some radical changes very quickly (and then have the courage to implement them) if newspapers will survive in any form.