It’s a fiasco: embarrassing for Pando Daily and for me as well. So it wasn’t my intention to write about getting “let go,” as they say, but rather to let it fade away.
But someone at Pando leaked the story.
It’s out now. Valleywag has a story about it. David Sirota, one of Pando’s most prominent reporters — perhaps the most prominent — was also fired.
Needless to say, I’m ready, willing and able to kick cartoon and editorial ass for any cool website that needs me, whether as a cartoonist, writer or editor.
10 Comments.
Damn. I can scratch Pando Daily from my everyday reading list. You and Sirota were my main reasons for going there.
Tough break, Ted. You have my sympathy.
That sucks. If they’re too stoopit to realize they need you, then they’re too stoopit to deserve you in the first place.
Maybe you can take “Left Coast” back over from the amateur you left in charge over at the Pasadena Weekly. Your quasi-Dalian style of cartooning has a certain flair and focus to it … her’s is just disfunctional.
DanD
I am so sorry.
I guess the sad reality is that in an era of such monied corruption, one can identify the hard hitting reporters by their abrupt and inexplicable firings following (sometimes with a significant delay) anti-corruption pieces. I guess in trying to look for the silver lining we can say that this is a strong indication you haven’t sold out and are still as principled and hard-hitting as ever.
If I were any more cynical about this day and age, then I would strongly suggest you proudly display these things as “journalism awards” on your CV like so:
Journalism Awards:
1) Nominated for a Pulitzer
2 ) Abruptly fired from NYTimes for being right about the Iraq war.
3) Abruptly fired from Pando Daily for…
4) Abruptly fired from …
…
I know my monthly “subscription” isn’t much, but for what it is worth I haven’t been bought out by monied interests (yet) so at least you don’t have to worry about being fired from that as well (yet).
Hey Ted,
This is just a shot across the bow … don’t get too relevant, otherwise you really could be “Michael Hasting’d (Gary Web’bd, Hunter Thompson’d).
Meanwhile, stay out of small airplanes and newer cars (collateral damage is this particular president’s signature murder-trope). Anyway, who’s been doing your vehicle’s repair work lately (whatever you do, don’t get depressed and “kill” yourself)?
http://www.westernjournalism.com/was-michael-hastings-murdered/
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message56485/pg1
http://thompsonmurder.com/
DanD
Ted,
Yes. There’s a moment of agonized embarrassment. A sort of natural dislike for being involved in something sordid, but the facts are pretty clear: Pando panicked and one of those “genius” types who climb the corporate ladder figured the “smart” thing to do was to get rid of the people who the investors didn’t like.
There’s plenty of embarrassment to go around, but none of it should be apportioned to you (by yourself or by anyone else). Judging by her own social media trail, Sarah Lacy is the embarrassment, at least in a journalistic framework. Ignorant and cowardly, uncouth and without finesse (a great combination), she will probably come through this fine, toadying to the powerful for a chance to ride their coattails. The journo world is surprisingly small, and, I strongly suspect, Lacy lacks the higher-level capacity to be a successful apex predator for long.
The taint of “damaged goods” will continue to accrete to her. I wonder how long Pando will survive. I mean, aren’t their enough house organs already? Why would anyone need or want yet another “go along to get along” website run by someone who things she’s going to reinvent journalism without comprehending its core values and necessary structural components.
Sometimes I walk into the wrong place and I can’t wait to get out.
Sometimes I walk into the right place and I still want to get out, e.g. an outhouse.
I don’t know anything about Pando, and I learned of its existence only because of Rall’s website. I’d say it’s *their* loss. 🙂
I agree that it’s Pando’s loss. Please accept my condolences, Ted.