Scott -- You may feel blindsided and upset that Marcus Stern is suddenly "unavailable" for the Cafe, but you should take it as a sign that you finally have arrived in the (tiny) ranks of crusading journalists in this town. And on your SLOP birthday too! Carry on. We readers appreciate your good work.

Posted by Frances O'Neill Zimmerman | reply to this comment
May 31, 2007 4:12 am

Are you sure it wasn't David Copley who called and cancelled for Marcus Stern?

Posted by But of Course | reply to this comment
May 31, 2007 6:51 am

No sweat SL. It's more awkward for Mr. Stern who once again has bowed (I bet) to the UT's myopic view of the world. I can hear the tongues clucking: "don't cooperate with a 'competitor'" or "don't put yourself in the line of fire" or something like that....

Posted by South of 8 | reply to this comment
May 31, 2007 7:33 am

Who cares anyways? The guy's story was great and all, but do we really need to have the reporter trot himself out as the story? Just get back to work, I say.

Posted by Ronald Truman | reply to this comment
May 31, 2007 11:32 am

It's also likely that the recent SD UT bashing caused the pullout. The SD UT was taken to task by the voiceofsandiego.org and its readers regarding the Chief of Police, and maybe the unrestrained printing of such critique caused Marcus Stern -- or the SD UT -- to pull the Cafe blog. If it's not politically motivated, Mr. Stern should be able to reschedule ASAP!

Posted by Christopher Hall | reply to this comment
May 31, 2007 11:33 am

That would have been one hell of a Cafe....that is for sure!

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
May 31, 2007 1:07 pm

It's OK, Scott. Why would Cap'n Copley want one of his to screed for somebody else? That's ownership for ya in the land of the free. Why not dig up Rachel Laing instead? She's always good for a laugh.

Posted by Charles Foster Kane | reply to this comment
June 1, 2007 12:06 am

I nominate BillyBob to host your Cafe. I'm dead serious. It would be a hoot.

Posted by D | reply to this comment
June 1, 2007 1:22 am

I'll host! But no hate mail/posting allowed from my gov buddies.....

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
June 1, 2007 8:54 am

I work at the U-T and, believe me, no one cares when Voice of San Diego "takes us to task" over whatever. Most folks here don't read it.

Posted by regularjoe | reply to this comment
June 3, 2007 10:43 pm

Ha, Ha, Ha -- Good one regularjoe! And I suppose you don't read the voiceofsandiego.org either! I have always had a great deal of respect for the talented staff at the SD UT, I have personally known a couple dozen writers, photographers and editors who I hold in the highest esteem, and, for the most part, few of the staff that I have known ever read the SD UT. Perhaps the people who make delicious sausage don't eat it at the end of the day, that was the analogy I surmised over the last 12 years. Regarding your snobbery that "no one cares when Voice of San Diego "takes us to task" over whatever," I can assure you YOUR readers and advertisers care, and the reason you are losing circulation is because of your careless, arrogant, egotistical attitude.

Posted by Christopher Hall | reply to this comment
June 4, 2007 7:32 am

I agree that the SDUT has many talented reporters, but I believe that SDUT journalists are thwarted constantly in their efforts to get out the truth. I'm interested in education, and I've long believed that VOSD might have done as good a job on education reporting as Chris Moran and Leonel Sanchez do at the Union-Tribune if the VOSD editorial staff hadn't changed. I felt that Marsha Sutton was knowledgeable about education and sincere in her desire to improve it, but was not aggressive about telling the real story. I noticed her big two-installment article about school financing never even mentioned how much SDCOE spends on lawyers. Even the SDUT has printed some pretty aggressive reporting about school lawyers Bonnie Garcia and Daniel Shinoff. What gives? Why was Marsha Sutton more gentle with Garcia and Shinoff than the Union Tribune was?

Posted by Maura Larkins | reply to this comment
June 4, 2007 10:35 am

U-T staffers have long complained that management doesn't want writers promoting themselves beyond their byline in the paper.

Posted by Jake | reply to this comment
June 4, 2007 12:06 pm

Sorry! I misspelled the name of attorney Bonny (Bonifacio) Garcia in my post below.

Posted by Maura Larkins | reply to this comment
June 4, 2007 11:07 pm

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