Unprecedented p.

By: John Consoli

New York Post devotes nearly 24 pages to trashing the man who was granted ownership of the newspaper sp.

In a move seemingly unprecedented in U.S. newspaper history, the New York Post devoted most of its first 24 pages on March 16 to trashing the man who was granted ownership of the paper.
Stories headlined, "Who Is This Nut?," "It's adios ads if Terrible Two take over," "Honest, Abe Doesn't Know Spit About Journalism," "Hate twins' plans for news are noose to us," "Let's all sing 'Loon Over Miami,' " and "4-Letter Word for Abe, Fit to Print: Liar," all took real estate mogul Abe Hirschfeld to task.
In an "urgent appeal to Post readers," the public was asked to "Call Mr. Hirschfeld today . . . and ask him to sell this paper to someone who will allow it to survive."
The message from the "editorial staff of the New York Post" also stated: "We believe Mr. Hirschfeld's basic ignorance of the way our business operates ? and his refusal to educate himself ? means the Post will permanently cease publication in days.
"We take no issue with Mr. Hirschfeld's right to own a newspaper, but we feel the Post is too important ? not only to us, but to all New Yorkers ? to entrust it to him and his new partner, Wilbert Tatum.
"We believe Mr. Tatum's view of reality ? as expressed by the journalism practice in his Amsterdam News ? is repugnant to most fair-thinking New Yorkers. The Post is more important than one man's vanity and another man's bigotry."
Hirschfeld was granted ownership, pending stock transfer, on March 12 by a bankruptcy court judge. Hirschfeld fired Post editor in chief Pete Hamill shortly after, and two days later ordered executive editor Gerard Bray to draw up a list of 270 employees to be axed. Bray refused and resigned.
Hirschfeld fired 72 employees the next day, including senior vice president Peter Faris, a holdover from the Rupert Murdoch ownership days, City Hall bureau chief David Seifman, longtime Albany bureau chief Fred Dicker and columnist Jack Newfield. Several of the firings were reportedly rescinded the next day and both Newfield and Dicker wrote vitriolic columns skewering Hirschfeld and his appointee as co-publisher, Wilbert Tatum.
The masthead in the March 16 edition still listed Hamill as editor in chief and tv reports from a news conference at the Post showed shouting employees ordering Hirschfeld out of the building.
That same day, Hamill came back to work. It was unclear if he was officially rehired, but Hirschfeld was backing off on whether he actually meant to fire Hamill.
Hirschfeld and Tatum were dubbed the "Terrible Two" in Post stories. Tatum, owner of the black-oriented weekly Amsterdam News, received notoriety for his steadfast editorial support a few years ago of Tawana Brawley, a black teen-ager who contended she was raped by a group of white males who smeared excrement over her body. A grand jury found her story to be not credible.
Tatum also received media criticism for publishing the name of the Central Park jogger who was beaten and raped by several black teen-agers.
He had a running feud with former New York City Mayor Ed Koch and ran a "Koch Must Resign" editorial on the front page of his newspaper each week during Koch's final term in office.
One Post article referred to a recent Jewish Anti-Defamation League report which described Tatum's as "the most provocative of the three black newspapers in the city that evidence a pattern of hostility toward Jews."
Hirschfeld received notoriety in 1990 when he was captured on tape spitting in the face of a female reporter for the Miami Herald. Hirschfeld was upset with the Herald's coverage surrounding his purchase and management of the Castle Hotel and Resort in Miami Beach.
The Herald reported violations by the hotel of the city's building and fire codes and, as a result, the hotel's ballroom was ordered closed. The Herald, which was scheduled to hold a 1,700- person luncheon in the ballroom, then moved the event to another location.
Hirschfeld sued Herald parent Knight-Ridder for breach of contract and interfering with business relations. Knight-Ridder expects the suit to be dismissed.
Peter Kalikow, who is still the owner of the Post pending final disposition in bankruptcy court, did not escape the wrath of the Post writers.
"Kalikow has maintained a lavish lifestyle of luxury cars, opulent homes, yachts and expensive parties ? while the Post was financially hemorrhaging," they wrote.
"Although $4.5 million in FICA payments was withheld from Post employees' paychecks, he never turned that money over to the federal government.
"He apparently was so strapped for money he also withheld $30,000 in payments to the 401K retirement accounts of his New York Newspaper Guild's employees, but never passed the funds on to the mutual fund company.
"Kalikow also has reneged on his promise to give the unions a 20% stake in the paper in exchange for their 20% pay cut."
Pretty much spared in the 24-page editorial onslaught was Steven Hoffenberg, the debt-collection company executive, who one month ago pumped in several millions to save the Post from closing.
Ironically, at the time that Hoffenberg took control of the paper, several key Post staffers, including editor Lou Colasuonno, managing editor James Lynch, metro editor Richard Gooding, and columnists Amy Pagnozzi and Mike McAlary left to join the rival Daily News.
McAlary so much wanted to get away from Hoffenberg that he took a job at the News under its owner Mort Zuckerman, who he had once called "a tyrant" who knows nothing about newspapers.
In a further irony, when Hoffenberg needed a further influx of cash, he brought in Hirschfeld. Now Hoffenberg is also in court attempting to restrain Hirschfeld from acquiring permanent control of the Post.