No Joke: More Strip-Mining of Boston Globe Comics

January 9, 2023

For the past handful of years, the hardreading staff has diligently chronicled the Boston Globe’s chuckleheaded handling of its comics pages. Beset by a chronic case of schlimmbesserung (making something worse by trying to make it better), the Globeniks are forever replacing decent strips with inferior ones.

Representative reaction from us after a 2019 Globe reader survey led to wholesale changes in the comics lineup: “Seriously? Rose Is Rose instead of Get Fuzzy? Adam @ Home instead of Zippy? We’re sorry to say this, but Globe readers are idiots.”

Not to mention Globe editors.

On January 2 the Globe unceremoniously kicked Mother Goose and Grimm to the curb via this microscopic notice (actual size).

(To be sure graf goes here)

To be sure, no one has ever confused Mother Goose and Grimm with Calvin and Hobbes or The Boondocks, but Ma and Grimmy are like cartoon comfort food, which is more than you can say about Pardon My Planet, judging from its maiden voyage in the Globe on New Year’s Day.

Pardon my plaint, but that’s just not funny. More like grim.

UPDATE: Splendid reader Mark has informed the hardreading staff that “[a]pparently you’re not the only one who missed it. Mother Goose was back as of today.”

Indeed she was, complete with another microscopic notice.

Universal Hub’s redoubtable Adam Gaffin also weighed in.

Grimm situation at the Globe resolved

By adamg on Mon, 01/09/2023 – 8:36pm

John Carroll reports he could not believe his eyes the other day when the Globe replaced “Mother Goose and Grimm” with one of those depressing strips about 20somethings being depressing.

The Globe’s Kevin Slane, though, reports the venerable strip is back today.

All’s well that ends well, yeah? Let’s hope the Globe editors stop all their strip teasing for a good long while.

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Howie Carr’s Coffee Mug Not Worth Beans. Honest.

January 9, 2018

As the hardbeaning staff noted the other day, Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr has introduced a line of coffee that he claims is New England’s New Favorite.

 

 

Except, apparently, it isn’t.

From Adam Gaffin’s essential Universal Hub.

 

 

And then there’s this, from sharp-eyed commenter Samantha.

 

 

We actually would buy a coffee named “Hones Thowie,” but that’s neither here nor there.

Meanwhile, who’s on Carr’s side? One person, apparently, on Twitter, but zero reviews on the Howie Store website.

Brew hoo.

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Herald Blows Lede in Michele McPhee Libel Suit

February 14, 2016

Today’s Boston Herald beat its crosstown rival to this story by Owen Boss:

Suit filed against reporter, news agencies for marathon bombings-related report

A Chelsea family with Chechen roots has filed a $105 million libel suit against journalist Michele McPhee and a Screen Shot 2016-02-14 at 1.47.03 PMhandful of news outlets that referenced a story she wrote for ABC News in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, claiming the 
article had a disastrous 
impact on their lives and personal relationships.

The Umarov family’s lawsuit — which was first reported by Universal Hub — was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston and claims that McPhee’s article published March 4, 2014, titled “Feds Searching for Friend of Boston Marathon Suspect, ‘Concern’ Over Chechnya Trip,” has caused “irreparable damage to their reputations and esteem, as well as a loss of associations, and loss of potential gainful employment.”

 

The Herald’s web version doesn’t provide a link to the Universal Hub post or McPhee’s ABC piece. Worse, it doesn’t mention that McPhee is a former reporter and columnist at the dodgy local tabloid. You’d think they might’ve included that.

Then again, the Herald piece was quick enough to name the other defendants in the libel suit: McPhee Productions, ABC News, The Daily Mail, Heavy, Inc., News Corp. Australia, DMG Media, the New York Daily News and anti-Islamic activist and journalist Pamela Geller. A lot of deep pockets there.

Crosstown, at this moment anyway, the Boston Globe has nothing on the story.

(Parenthetically, is it just the hardreading staff or is the Globe’s search engine much lamer these days?)

More, no doubt, to come.

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Boston Globe Delivery Meltdown, Day 6

January 2, 2016

Well the hardlyreading staff failed to receive its Boston Globe today, same as the last two days, but at least the lately local broadsheet included our zip code in its daily “delivery delay” list.

 

Screen Shot 2016-01-02 at 2.57.03 PM

 

That’s 111 zip codes if you’re keeping score at home. (We miscounted earlier on Twitter.)

Globe chief executive Mike Sheehan has claimed that “[b]y Wednesday, 95 percent of home-delivery subscribers received their papers,” but given the Twitstorm that’s raged all week, that seems highly unlikely.

Two additions from our splendid readers:

• David Shea on why the Herald has been AWOL on this story:

 

Screen Shot 2016-01-02 at 3.10.08 PM

 

• And Sharon Machlis added this bit of background:

 

Screen Shot 2016-01-02 at 3.11.53 PM

 

(Link here.)

Fun fact to know and tell: Click on any link for the aptly named ACI Last Mile Network, which is the Globe’s new improved delivery partner, and you get this:

 

Screen Shot 2016-01-02 at 3.19.36 PM

 

Huh.

One last note: This note from the Boston Globe Team.

Dear Subscriber,

We know that you have reached out to us this week to discuss your service interruption, and we apologize to those who did not get through. We are working around the clock to resolve our Customer Service and operational issues and get your paper to your door on time.

In the meantime, your home delivery account will be credited for this entire week. This will happen automatically; you do not need to take any action.

Once again, we apologize. For the most up-to-date information on delivery in your area and any new service announcements, please go to our dedicated delivery change page: BostonGlobe.com/ConsumerUpdate.

Thank you,
The Boston Globe Team

 

This one’s headed for a Harvard Business School case study, no?

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