His Title is Safe

Jon Friedman of Marketwatch is clinging tightly to the title of "World's Worst Media Columnist."

In a column on June 24 that I saw at the time but could only bring myself to read today -- I had a light breakfast -- Friedman lists the "Top Ten Media Events" of the year but fails to mention the widely publicized controversy over funding of National Public Radio, its appointment of an ombudsman, etc. etc.

That's not important to this putz. More important is the "open season on Katie Couric," last year's coverage of the Tsunami (which wouldn't be a "media event" even if it took place this year), and James Stewart writing a book about Disney.

"Reading Stewart's book was something like watching a 49-car pile-up on the 405 freeway," says Friedman. In other words, it's a bit like the experience of reading a media columnist who is totally out of his depth.

UPDATE: Apparently I have understated the case. A reader brings to my attention a letter to Romenesko yesterday by the managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, James O'Shea. Seems that in his zeal to write a puff piece on the new poker column in the New York Times, Friedman had pulled a boner.

Friedman said it was "ingenious" for the Times to place the column in the Sports section, and referred to the column as the newspaper's "latest innovation." "For the record," said O'Shea, "Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune has been writing a weekly poker column that runs in the Sports section of the Chicago Tribune for the past 13 months."

Way to go, Jon Friedman! Your title is so secure that--what do you think? Time to, maybe, retire undefeated? I know your readers would be grateful!