Comments on: Bad News; also, W to The F-Update:Consider This an Open Thread

By: smallvice585

smallvice585 — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:20:08 +0000

Voice over: Can you sleep well at night knowing that Tommy and so many others like him are wandering the streets, just looking for a way that they can contribute? A place where they can find love, shelter, and be paid a reasonable amount of money per word…

LOL

By: TFitz

TFitz — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:50:55 +0000

Tommy Christopher Foundation PSA:
Voice over: Every night, writers in New Jersey go to bed hungry. Hungry, cold and sober.
(Camera pans close over debris strewn urban sidewalk. Tommys shoes come in frame. Slow pan up to Tommys face. His expression is sad but determined.
Voice over: Thousands of writers roam the streets of Passaic looking for beer cans, a warm place to sleep and publication opportunities.
(Cut to Tommy sitting at a fold up table in a homeless services center. A motivational poster featuring a cat is visible over his shoulder)
Tommy: “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. I don’t sleep well. My doctor prescribed Xanax. It helps a little. Oh yeah, the kids. They’re hungry too, I guess.”
(Exterior of homeless center. Camera lingers over the entrance. Middle aged men with shopping carts, laptops and pained expressions. Camera pulls back showing the whole desolate street, pans up to the horizon to show the sun rising. It becomes increasingly brighter and the sky begins to turn blue)
The strains of an old Stephen Foster tune begins to swell. French horn.
Voice over: Can you sleep well at night knowing that Tommy and so many others like him are wandering the streets, just looking for a way that they can contribute? A place where they can find love, shelter, and be paid a reasonable amount of money per word…
You can contribute a portion of your unemployment check to Tommy simply by checking off the ‘Help Tommy’ box on your NJ State Unemployment form (note to producer, call the Governor. Is this doable?)
Fade to black

By: TFitz

TFitz — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:18:44 +0000

Sorry T, just heard the news. I have thought since the AOL PD move that they would fire all of the actual bloggers and fill the space with laid off journalists. Even that though doesn’t seem to motivate AOL to keep PD fresh and interesting. The same stories just seem to hang there forever and I never really get the sense that there is anyone home at PD, actually minding the pages.
Another point. When did AOL stop paying its writers? I imagine you with a laptop and a shopping cart, typing with one hand and rooting out recyclables with the other.

Here’s the real deal before I go back to being a hermit (pays better than AOL).
AOL was the only site that really features liberal bloggers and conservatives. I know that they do this because most of their readers are mentally ill Compuserve customers, but it is a winning formula. So, pick up the fired guys and start another site. I suggest calling it ALO and I have some great ideas for logos (Triangles are this years rectangle, you know). It has to be a news source. News drives traffic. Somebody has to be at the helm keeping content fresh and the site ALIVE, unlike those guys at AOL. HuffPo has teeny tiny problems which could be exploited by a clever competitor (don’t you just love Arianna? Isn’t she precious? Isn’t her stuff always at the top of the page? Didn’t she used to be married to Eddie Albert?).
Come to think of it, I could use one of those job thingys. Being a hermit, my pay is generally considered to be what I save in gasoline and personal hygiene products.
Good luck!

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:11:47 +0000

I only stumbled across Tommy *because* of the Playboy article. As a ‘righty’ woman, I was extremely grateful to see that a ‘lefty’ guy was standing against the Playboy article for what it was – an attack on all women, regardless of political belief. After reading this blog and, consequently, several articles at PD I was delighted to bookmark Tommy as a “favorite lefty” to read.

It’s a shame that AOL can’t appreciate the fact that this author can draw both respect and traffic from both sides of the political spectrum. Not an easy accomplishment in this day and age.

I’m sorry you lost your job with them.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:13:39 +0000

I too sent an email complaining about your being fired. I’m not even a follower of your s but am familiar with the story on Playboy. This is a shameful reponse by your editor when you were trying to call out a despictable article by playboy. Good Luck in your future endeavors, especially when they include sticking up for women even if they are conservatives.

By: William K. Wolfrum Chronicles » Blog Archive » Did AOL fire Tommy Christopher for criticizing Playboy?

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:18:07 +0000

[...] implicitly for the Playboy fiasco, he hasn’t denied it, either. Here’s a little of what he’s said so far, via his site: “I am grateful to AOL for the opportunities they’ve given me, but I disagree strongly with [...]

By: vermontviking

vermontviking — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:25:14 +0000

Tommy it is their loss and bad judgement. not yours..move on… it is meant to be. you will get many opportunities to bury them..plus great motivation to get better..do better..kickass
you are the best
big gabe

By: happyfeet

happyfeet — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:18:37 +0000

nicely put, Joe

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:42:03 +0000

Left of center writer gets canned by left of center media brothel for criticizing left of center rape-rant against right of center women….

pay-back is COGNITIVE DISSONANCE…

By: Liberal Writer Fired By AOL News For Reporting Vile Playboy List | Business Opportuinty Buzz And Web News

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:38:43 +0000

[...] Daily writer NewsBusters spoke with, Caleb Howe, confirmed that fact. And while Tommy Christopher released a statement to NewsBusters criticizing AOL’s decision to let him go Caleb Howe went further than Tommy in his opinion of [...]