Questions, Quips, Catfights

Tough questions for Kramer: Leonard Witt, former editor of Minnesota Monthly and the Strib’s Sunday magazine, conducted an IM interview with MinnPost’s Joel Kramer and asked a question on many minds these days: “When I think of the Internet, disruptive technology, I think young, vibrant, innovative, but when I look at the editorial names on your roster I see many long established Twin Cities names. What’s going to prevent the same old, same old traditional ways of doing journalism that is steadily losing market share?” Read his response — and the rest of this fascinating interview.

Jack Pine savaged: When the RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described “anarchist / anti-authoritarian organizing body preparing for the 2008 Republican National Convention,” held a press conference on Monday to discuss plans for messing with visitors to the upcoming Republican convention, both Twin Cities dailies covered it. Randy Furst’s Strib piece was pretty straight, but Mediation’s Taylor Carik picks nits with Rachel Stassen-Berger’s description of the press conference site. Her Pioneer Press piece describes the venue as “the run-down Jack Pine Community Center.” Carik writes, “Granted, Jack Pine isn’t a palace royale, but how’s that for shedding a positive light on the ‘anarchists and anti-authoritarians’?”

Dear Abbe: Strib arts writer Mary Abbe gets a talking-to by D.C.-based critic Tyler Green, the country’s top art blogger, for her recent piece on vacant directorships at the Twin Cities two big art museums (full disclosure: I was editor of the Walker Art Center magazine until a few weeks ago). Of her piece that “deteriorates into a muddle,” he writes: “Abbe considers the MCA Chicago and the [contemporary art museum in Houston] ‘modern-art’ museums. (Uhh…) Abbe finds that ‘there are many perks to running an art museum — glamorous parties, extensive travel, attractive surroundings, great cafeteria food…’ (Uhh…) And Abbe believes that contemporary art museum directors may not need doctorates but they do need ‘street smarts.’ Uhh… whatevs.”

Link love (and hate): We’ve all felt it from time to time — lack of link love — but Metroblogging actually blogged it. A Metblog post “Stop Stealing Links” calls out “the Rake Forums” (er, MNspeak) for not following proper linkback credit for a piece. Unseemly commentage ensues.

Punniest agriculture-themed headline: Too bad it didn’t happen in the livestock building: “Man stabbed at State Fair is in stable condition.”

Got a tip for Media Monitor? E-mail us your media news.