Advertisement

Opinion: The real reason we’re sending Michael Newman to the <i>WashPost</i>

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Yesterday’s sad announcement that Michael Newman, our indispensable deputy editorial page editor, will be headed to the monarch of the D.C. dailies may yet have a silver lining. The Washington Post, in a continuation of the lamentable trend of seeking phantom efficiencies in the funny pages, has cut Mary Worth from its cartoon lineup. Josh Fruhlinger, Comics Curmudgeon and Times OpEd writer, is already leading the backlash.

According to Fruhlinger, you can pitch in by calling the Post‘s comics hot line at 202-334-4775, sending an angry email to comics@washpost.com, or writing to Comics Feedback, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. There’s also a Don’t Cancel Mary Worth Coalition already formed. Mary Worth, both in print and on film, has proven to be a durable gem of absurdist theater, a genre that has not otherwise flourished in these United States. But my experiences with past efforts to keep the strip alive have led me to doubt whether anything will come of this latest campaign.

Advertisement

This time, though, we’ve got an ace in the hole. Although Newman shows few signs of having picked up my Mary Worth contagion, and in fact plays it close to the vest by never showing any interest in the comic at all, I’m sure his presence at the Post will be the key ingredient of good taste and sweet reason, guiding that august institution down a wiser path as the newspaper medium accelerates its forced march toward extinction.

Advertisement