Editor to Cincy Post workers: don’t drink on last day

Don Day January 2nd, 2008

The editor of the now-defunct Cincinnati Post issued an edict to his staff just five days before the newspaper shut down: don’t bring booze to your final shift. From Mike Phillipps’ memo: “…tempting as it may be …please do not bring any alcoholic beverages into the newsroom. Let’s go out like the professionals we have been these last, difficult weeks.”

Seems an odd thing to worry about when you’re closing up your business. Slate’s take is classic:

Philipps’ memo brings a couple of questions to mind: 1) Since when is it considered unprofessional for a journalist to take a drink? and 2) If Post staffers, who were all scheduled for dismissal, did bring flasks to work, what was Philipps going to do if he caught them? Fire them?