Post Yost

It seems like only yesterday that we were heralding the arrival of Mark Yost on the editorial page of the Pioneer Press as the beginning of a new era of media choice in the Twin Cities:

And it seems like only the day before yesterday we were questioning if he was truly a conservative in the first place:

Notice the [Pioneer Press] description for Yost includes the same distancing from a true conservative embrace (he's not conservative, he's libertarian). Hopefully that's just a way for these guys to ease into their jobs without spooking the herd at the Pioneer Press too much. It could also mean that these guys aren't really conservatives at all. Instead they're simply more moderate liberals, compared to the zealots currently infesting the editorial board.

It's always fun to visit with the ghost of paranoia past, isn't it? Thankfully, our concerns proved to be unfounded. Yost proved to be a rock-ribbed, articulate spokesman for the conservative point of view. The exact perspective editorial boards in this town have willfully ignored for decades, despite the fact that about half the state is predisposed to supporting it.

Yes, his hiring was good times for those of us who love newspapers but felt alienated by their relentless attacks on our beliefs. But it wasn't all Peaches and Herb for Yost. He was a marked man from the beginning, having to suffer the slings and arrows from a liberal readership and press room culture that assumed the editorial page was an entitlement for their leftist ideology. This abuse and resentment couldn't have easy to face day after day. Yet he still consitently provided terrific coverage of the economy, gun rights, the war in Iraq and support for the troops, and most controversially, he dared to question the performance of the press itself.

But that's all over now. I don't know that it's even been officially announced by the Pioneer Press, but according to reliable sources, Mark Yost's byline will not appear again at that paper. The exact reasons are murky. But with the ownership change it looks like they're clearing the decks over there. If there is a silver lining to this tale, it's that at least the Yost departure was a 3-for-1 deal. Liberal drudgery artists Art Coulson, Deborah Locke and Glenda Holste were also shown the door, ending their long tenures of afflicting readers with their predictable, tired prose.

We wish Mark Yost the best in his future endeavors and know we need weep no bitter tears. He'll land on his feet, in fact he's already standing. His freelance work for such august publications as the Wall Street Journal and the J Peterman catalog (no lie) will continue. He's got a book coming out soon bout the NFL. He'll continue to host his fine radio program, The Patriot Insider (9 - 11 AM on AM1280 The Patriot). And he's also officially crossed the alternative media transom, with his new blogging efforts:

Iraq Heroes - the heroes of Iraq and Afghanistan that you never hear about

and

The Home Front - the issues and challenges faced by Minnesota National Guardsmen just back from Iraq.

The Pioneer Press's loss is the MOB's gain. Yes, another is assimilated. Resistance is futile.