I got word today that my local paper would no longer be publishing The Straight Dope!
When I called the editor, he said the Chicago Reader was limiting publication of the column to only five American papers. What papers will he now be appearing in, I wonder?
Maybe one of them will be High Times. Probably the Reader wants to limit its liability for druggie stuff that Cecil writes like this detailed recipe for marijuana brownies that you can try at home! Go ahead!
And lest I be accused of merely stirring up trouble–I’m serious, maybe that is the reason. The Reader doesn’t seem to be an ideal ground for fostering the free spirit of Cecil, based on what I’ve heard secondhand on these message boards.
According The Straight Dope FAQ (not to be confused with the SDMB FAQ), the column appears in 34 papers around the country. The page was last updated on 2/9/2001, so I’m curious if your paper is listed, Chief. The page also suggests that if no newpaper in your area carries The Straight Dope that you should pester the editor of your local alternative paper.
I can’t imagine why the Reader would want to limit the column to five newspapers. The liability reason doesn’t make sense to me. If they really wanted to limit liability, they wouldn’t distribute the ones they were concerned about. In any case, I’m not even sure that the Reader would be liable. After all, each paper has the choice of what to publish.