Letter of the week

From Russia, No Love

The next time you folks at City Paper are sitting around the sink (because you can't afford a water cooler) complaining about the fact that you can't afford a water cooler and don't get any respect from your readers, I'd advise you to flip open to your Web site of the Week from Aug. 5 ["Russian Roulette," Joel Tannenbaum]. It should clear up your frustration.

Talk about Russian roulette!

On that page, Joel Tannenbaum refers to a Moscow biweekly as America's best alternative newspaper and praises its Web site, which he cites as full of lots of extra features. Tannenbaum goes on to say that the editor of this paper is an admitted liar who has willfully misled his readers and the public at large. Now, either Tannenbaum was joking or he was serious.

If he was joking, the fact that you think journalists lying to their readers is something to joke about in the post-Jayson-Blair age explains your poverty and lack of respect. If he was serious, then he either means by best something pathetic to laugh at or something like a valuable piece of journalism.

It's impossible to tell which, and this irresponsible use of language in a matter of such gravity (see Jayson Blair) explains your poverty and lack of respect. If best means something to laugh at, you need to take up collection and get yourself a dictionary, and meanwhile give consideration to a new profession (ironically? sadly? appropriately?).

Leon Dellman
Via e-mail

Dear Mr. Dellman,
City Paper has two very nice water coolers. We love them both.
Warmest regards,
Joel Tannenbaum

— Respond to this article in our Forums — click to jump there