hitler plus superman = too much
This tidbit was sent in by Sticks of Fire’s other reader Mike.
Zephyrhills News editor Gary Hatrick has been fired from his job. “I was not at all surprised,” he said.
Neither are we.
It seems Hatrick compared Z-hills city councilman Daniel Burgess to Adolph Hitler. This, of course, upset Burgess’ mommy, who called the paper to complain. Burgess is 20, and on the city council. - Hey Burgess, tell your mom it’s time to let go.
The latest commentary again compared Burgess to Hitler, and asked if he was hiding behind mommy’s apron strings.
But that may not be Hatrick’s undoing. The TBO article says the newspaper’s owner, Barry H. Scripps, wasn’t too keen of Hatrick’s office collection of 160 Superman figurines.
So one guy plays with dolls, and accuses the other of being immature.
I guess that’s just how they roll in Z-hills. Thanks for the tip, Mike!
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March 28th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Am I missing something here? The proposal sounds like amped-up neighborhood watch. How is this like Hitler? It’s not like reporting something is required, right?
And I don’t see why the Superman figurines are such a big deal. Clark Kent was a reporter, wasn’t he? It’s kinda fitting. Most editors I’ve known never meet with people in their office because there’s too much confidential info in there, so I’m just not seeing the problem. A little unprofessional maybe, but just ask the guy to get rid of them.
Sounds like they’re all just a bunch of whiners who need more to do.
March 28th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Goodwin’d.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:02 am
I believe you may have meant Godwin’d
March 29th, 2007 at 10:29 am
This guy sounded like a freak who didn’t want to be taken seriously as a journalist by anyone. By the way, if anybody ever called me Hitler my momma would complain too. But she’d have to wait until I was done kicking that person’s flabby arse.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:10 am
That’s the one. Thanks WP.
Was too lazy to look it up.
March 29th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I don’t know anything about either of these two men and have never read the Zephyrhills News before. My first thoughts are:
*The Hitler comparision is so over-used these days, it’s lost some of its power.
*Even the less-powerful, often-used Hitler comparision is painful and should be used sparingly and appropriately.
*A 20-year old city council member (or any kind of official) has to work harder to prove maturity and responsibility, given the prejudices and expectations most people would have of someone so young. Intervention from one’s mother works against the image of maturity. If you’re old enough to run for office, you’re old enough to defend yourself.
*What’s wrong with Superman figurines in the office? If it were a bank or a law office, I’d understand stricter rules. Aren’t journalists supposed to be creative writer types? Most people have personal — sometimes silly — items at their desks. I worked with a graphic designer who had all sorts of toys on display on a shelf in his office and a velcro dartboard on his wall. My boss (#3 guy in the organization) has a small basketball hoop on the easel in the corner of his office and a nerf basketball for when his son comes to visit. I decorate my cubicle each holiday and put season-appropriate colored candy in my candy dish. If the newspaper owner thought Superman figurines were unprofessional, he should have told Hatrick to remove them.
Here’s a link to another TBO.com column about what happened (it’s pretty funny):
http://pasco.tbo.com/pasco/MGBG0EDORZE.html
April 7th, 2007 at 1:52 am
This is somewhat late, but I just found it.
#1 I did not compare Danny to Hitler, I said his proposal was hitleresque, and it was, and I satirically called Danny Adolph. If you haven’t read the commentaries you can’t possibly know.
#2 I did not get fired because of it. I got fired because I refused to allow the owner to require that my stories and commentaries be reviewed by someone else before they were published. That is not what the free press is about. Danny boy had nothing to do with it.
#3 I did also refuse to remove the Superman figures because at that point the owner was bullying. He rarely came to the office and the community loved the display. It was outrageous. Lisa is right about a news office.
#4 C.W. needs to know I am indeed a very serious and by what I am told, respected, journalist. It is that seriousness that caused me to take a bullet for freedom of the press. I can be easily found in Zephyrhills. C.W. is likely a coward who talks big when he knows no one knows who he is. I do not take his type seriously at all.