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  6 1 It's true that Jonah doesn't work at the paper anymore. Obviously we can't discuss employment issues, but we can say that Jonah did some great work at The Stranger, that he's a good guy, and that we're grateful to him for his time here. It has nothing to do with his mild criticism of Mike McGinn. We fight about politics all the time here, which is part of what makes the paper interesting. Bethany Jean Clement answered in Whatever over 2 years ago | Report 7 comments by Lee, jared larter, and Lee… 0 0 Thanks for commenting on the matter, Bethany. Obviously discussing his termination publicly would open the paper up to huge legal liability, so the reasonable people here will understand that. Still, it's a damn shame. He's a great reporter. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 1 Jonah is a good guy - and a very talented journalist. That's why your decision to fire him was so surprising and disappointing. Doesn't reflect well on The Stranger or McGinn. jared larter commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 @jared: Yes, it's a surprise and a disappointment, but it doesn't reflect on the Stranger until we know what actually transpired. And it doesn't reflect anything about McGinn really at all (unless you actually think that McGinn called Frizzelle and was like "make this jerk stop asking about my crime plans"). One of Jonah's own friends has already said publicly that this is for the best, in the long term, for Jonah. From the outside looking in, this sounds like an incident that has a lot more to do with office politics than with city politics. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 1 Probably so, which only makes The Stranger staff look like even bigger dicks. jared larter commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 @jared: again: "but it doesn't reflect on the Stranger until we know what actually transpired." Jonah's a lot more free to speak about this, from a legal standpoint, than the Stranger is. I'm going to withhold judgment until we at least hear something from him. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 1 Yes, I'm sure that the downtrodden and wrongly fired always have a voice. jared larter commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 @jared: No, they don't "always have a voice." But Jonah is a star reporter with a lot of fans. If this is a wrongful termination that, for some reason, the victim cannot talk about, then I'm terribly sorry to have bothered you all. Again, I'm waiting until we hear something from Jonah. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 4 this is bullshit, if he got fired for slamming McGinn. Josh Bomb answered in Whatever over 2 years ago | Report 11 comments by jared larter, Lee, and jared larter… 0 0 That's what I heard . . . jared larter commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Look, you morons, if that were true, Jonah could sue the fuck out of the Stranger. And he would very likely know how to do so, I'm thinking. Seriously: addle-brained rumor-spreading does nothing to raise the level of public discussion. Also, I am not defending the Stranger here: I am, rather, defending the correctness of not leaping to stupid conclusions before the dust has even settled. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Oh, please. Addle-brained rumor-spreading is all the Stranger does. At least Jonah had some integrity and intelligence. jared larter commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 "He started it"? Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 I don't think that's the reason, but concerning the 'he could sue them' point, Jonah doesn't have the money for a lawyer, even if an org was willing to help subsidize part of the costs. The 'so and so could always get a lawyer' line is overplayed because a lawyer's services aren't as feasible to acquire for the working class as everyone assumes. Lawyers cost money. A LOT of money, for the simplest of services once you get past the initial consultation. The Stranger doesn't need to worry about a lawsuit if they screwed him. It's not like they pay their writers well enough for them to afford it when they're thrown on the street. But again... I doubt the McGinn story is the reason. Steven Gomez commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 The more slam-dunk a case is, the more lawyers are willing to help you for a share of the damages. Anyway, Steven: how much, exactly, does the Stranger pay their writers? Since you seem to know. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 I'm obviously no fly on the wall with that paper but I roughly know what one makes to write for them, and you know as well as anyone that that info shouldn't be publically posted. I probably make more than they do and I don't even have a full time job right now. He definitely can't hire a lawyer if he wants to pay the rent next month. Steven Gomez commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 @Steven: So, how much does/did Jonah make? And how good is his wrongful termination suit against the Stranger?. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Not much. And again, I doubt he was wrongfully terminated (at least for a reason where he'd have a case), so we're admittedly browbeating a moot point. Steven Gomez commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 @Steven: No, we are not "browbeating a moot point." We are asking you for some kind of evidence of the assertions you post on the internet. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 What do you mean "we", Lee? It's pretty much you trying to play you usual self-appointed role as Slog sheriff. Go re-read my response two comments back as to why I didn't just throw out a number. You think the web people will just look the other way if I go ahead and post one here? If you're jonesing for hard evidence (and obv I'm not in a position to give it to you), one clue is that the Publicola defectors willingly jumped ship to start a blogging venture that probably doesn't pay too much, assuming it pays at all. Do they do that if the writers make, say, $30K a year? They all do have bills to pay, and if they all resigned, they're probably not collecting unemployment. Steven Gomez commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  3 5 Um, what? Sez who? Fnarf answered in Whatever over 2 years ago | Report 9 comments by datajunkie, Fnarf, and Lee… 0 0 http://publicola.net/?p=14245 Maybe he quit? I don't know, for some reason this seems so wrong it must be a hoax. I keep thinking I'm reading it wrong or something. datajunkie commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Bizarre. I think the speculation there at Publicola is ridiculous; they just hired a new news editor, a good one, so they're hardly moving away from hard news. Too bad; I liked Jonah a lot. Fnarf commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Yeah, the suggestion that Jonah got canned for hitting McGinn on crime doesn't add up. Rowe's first article for the Stranger was precisely on the key role that responses to crime would play in making up the undecided votes. This really is weird, though. Jonah's a great reporter. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Page?oid=21244 He's still listed on the Masthead. Can anyone from the Stranger confirm?? MyrnaMinkoff commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Oh, Christ. Jonah left?! Amelia commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Such a bummer if it is true. He was doing some of the best true reporting around. I hope he stays in the area and gets another voice. Horrible Person commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 In Jonah's Monday Slog post, he reported that McGinn canceled their schedule interview last minute, and then stopped returning his calls. It makes me wonder what else was going on behind the scenes. McGinn needs The Stranger more than The Stranger needs McGinn, so I agree with Lee that it doesn't really add up yet. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/09/14/why-is-mike-mcginn-afraid-to-talk-about-crime-in-seattle Mahtli69 commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 He was fired; Sam Machkovech and Jonathon Golob both Twittered about it. I have no idea on the "why," though. Aislinn commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 I like how they asked him to pitch story ideas before they escorted him out of the building. Classy. jared larter commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  3 9 No clue, there is just gossip all over the place. But one thing for sure about working at The Stranger; people do leave there under really odd circumstances. And who actually does reporting there now anyway? Erica's gone, Josh long gone and Jonah? Cato the Younger Younger answered in Whatever over 2 years ago | Report 3 comments by Steven Gomez, jared larter, and Cato the Younger Younger … 0 0 Allegedly the new editor, Claudia Rowe, will pick up Jonah's slack alongside editing their news, and from there it's up to Eli and Dominic. Steven Gomez commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 I hear that she has great connections with the SPD. jared larter commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 And certianly it was worth giving me 6 thumbs down for my answer to the question Cato the Younger Younger commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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