Ahh, the Philadelphia Inquirer. They're having a rough time of it this year, what with the whole economic downturn and its attendant media apocalypse. At the Inky, they've been through the declining revenue and diminishing subscriber base and the staff cutting and it still didn't prevent them from having to file for bankruptcy back in February. They've also had to pass on quality, as well, like Loretta Tofani's much-honored "American Imports, Chinese Deaths" series that documented the "millions of Chinese factory workers were getting fatal diseases and limb amputations while making thousands of products for the U.S."
The Inquirer was offered that story, but passed. According to Tofani, "Most newspapers I approached--including my former employer, The Philadelphia Inquirer--said they liked the stories, but they didn't have the money or were uncomfortable giving the assignment to a reporter who wasn't on staff."
Really? They weren't comfortable with their own former Chinese correspondent? Oh, well, it was the Salt Lake City Tribune's gain.
Where did the money go to pay for journalism though? Well, today's Philadelphia Daily News offers a brief reminder:
Former U. S. Sen. Rick Santorum is collecting $1,750 a shot for the columns that appear every other week in the Inquirer, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The checks are sent to a post office box in Great Falls, Va. - close to a Starbucks, we figure.
Well, I'm sure the Inquirer is satisfied with the choice they've made, which is bankrolling a loser Senator's hobby to the tune of $45,000 a year. But I think that this is objectively bonkers.
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