I didn’t jump, I was pushed
If you read the Richmond Times-Dispatch this morning or looked for my column on Friday, you probably know I’m not writing for the paper anymore. You probably don’t know why, since the executive editor would not run my farewell column unless I made a number of changes in it, including NOT saying that the column had been dropped. The curiously worded notification that appeared in Metro yesterday and today took the place of my farewell and suggested that the column somehow miraculously stopped on its own. That omission has led readers to call my house to find out if I’m all right. The notice could have meant anything: I was fired for (fill in the reason), I quit, I retired, I’m ill and so on. But the simple truth is, the editor decided to drop it but didn’t want to say he dropped it. Strange journalism, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m bummed that the column was dropped—and more so that the last one didn’t run—but welcome to my blog, which I’ve begun mainly so I can keep in touch with readers, especially since I never got to say good-bye. Many of you have been with me for my entire 18 years as a newspaper columnist, which makes you friends. I’ll post a column or two here from time to time and, short of that, keep you apprised of what’s going on in my life and in Barb’s as well. Feel free to post a comment below, call us at (804) 353-7747 or shoot me an e-mail at rfitzger@richmond.edu and share what’s going on with you, too. I welcome your comments and questions or just a chance to say hello. There are also some possible avenues for getting me back into print somewhere. I hope to continue giving speeches, too, so if you’d like me to speak to your organization, feel free to invite me. Our conversation will continue one way or another.
