WaPo’s Rubin to Pexton: ‘Hahahahahahaha’

WaPo’s ex-Ombudsman Patrick Pexton had some raw advice for the publication’s new owner Jeff Bezos in a story for Washington City Paper this week. Among his suggestions: Fire right-wing blogger Jennifer Rubin. He whined about how terrible he thinks she is, and said he received more complaints about her than anyone — because that’s exactly what newspaper publishers don’t want in a writer, to make waves and increase web traffic, right?

We asked for her reaction. Her response to FBDC? “Hahahahahahaha.”

An excerpt from Pexton’s column in WCP:

“Jennifer Rubin. Have Fred Hiatt, your editorial page editor—who I like, admire, and respect—fire opinion blogger Jennifer Rubin. Not because she’s conservative, but because she’s just plain bad. She doesn’t travel within a hundred miles of Post standards. She parrots and peddles every silly right-wing theory to come down the pike in transparent attempts to get Web hits. Her analysis of the conservative movement, which is a worthwhile and important beat that the Post should treat more seriously on its national pages, is shallow and predictable. Her columns, at best, are political pornography; they get a quick but sure rise out of the right, but you feel bad afterward.” — …Rubin was the No. 1 source of complaint mail about any single Post staffer while I was ombudsman, and I’m leaving out the organized email campaigns against her by leftie groups like Media Matters.”

(Note to Rubin: We’ve always enjoyed your nerviness. To bring Media Matters into the argument–even while “leaving them out”–only muddies Pexton’s argument. They are big on email campaigns, small on thought. Of course they live to hate bloggers like you — that’s called breathing over at MMFA HQ.)

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via FishbowlDC http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/washington-post-jennifer-rubin-patrick-pexton-washington-city-paper_b113634