Hearne: What’s in a Name?

Mark Zeiman & Wife

Remember that childhood limerick about sticks and stones?

Given my high profile and penchant for flirting with controversy, I’ve fielded my fair share of verbal abuse.

Big surprise, right?

That said, this is no business for the faint of heart.

Not that they’re aren’t a lot of thin-skins in the game though, like former Star editor and publisher Mark Zeiman.

The Z Man could dish it out with the best, but when it came to criticism – especially that of a public nature – he was weak as a kitten.

I remember him telling me no way would he return former Pitch editor C.J. Janovy’s call because he knew she was gonna stick it to him.

I, on the other hand figured that since Zeiman made his living forcing other people to walk the plank, why should he duck public scrutiny?

But that’s just me.

I remember in 2008 when Zeiman told Star editor Mike Fannin to have me quit my weekly paid appearances on the 710 KCMO host Chris Stigall’s radio show.

The reason being, Stigall had KC Mayor Mark Funkhouser on every week who routinely went after Zeiman and his controversial/goofy wife as payback for the Star’s abusive coverage of Funk’s controversial wife Gloria.

Guess what?

I didn’t and shortly thereafter found himself on the chopping block of a massive layoff.

Go figure.

The bottom line: the writers and editors at the Star live in one of KC’s biggest glass houses (literally) and love to dish it out – yet with rare exception – they’re the least capable of taking it.

The other day I basically outed Star librarian-turned reader’s rep-turned editorial board member Derek Donovan.

Recently axed talk show host Chris Stigall

Not for being gay or a David Bowie fanatic…but for being one of the most thin-skinned people I ever worked with at the Star. And that’s from back when the newspaper had more than 2,000 bodies (as opposed to 200-or-so today).

I ventured a guess – and not a bad one given Donovan’s social and political leanings and past writings – that he may have been behind the recent embarrassing editorial trashing of 20-something conservative author and speaker Michael Knowles.

It was a juvenile hit piece, dripping with disdain and hatred.

And over-the-top as Star editorials tend to be these days, this one was particularly spiteful.

The reason: Knowles’ UMKC speech had pissed off the local LGBT community by stating that transgender women were still men based on genetics. To the point where one audience member attacked Knowles and sprayed him with a super soaker.

The good natured Knowles more-or-less laughed it off, that somehow earned him the Star’s scorn.

Which brings me to the following anonymous comment I received:

“Derek doesn’t write editorials, dickweed.”

Dickweed? Classy, but also gutless.

Because the days of big city newspapers – hanging by a thread – yet still administering hard-edged editorial shellackings, while hiding the names of the actual authors seems pretty lame.

Right up there with hiding behind anonymous comments garnished with lame expletives.