Would They Be a Party To Greene?

By: Dave Astor If Bob Greene wanted to resume his column, would you consider signing him? E&P Online asked several syndicate executives that hypothetical question, and got a mix of "No" and "Maybe" answers.

Greene, of course, resigned last month from the Chicago Tribune after admitting to a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old girl who approached him in 1988 for help with a high-school journalism assignment. With no feature to distribute to Greene's 100-plus clients, Tribune Media Services dropped him from its roster.

Interestingly, a TMS executive would at least think about signing Greene if he proposed resuming his column. "Yes, I would consider it," said Vice President/Domestic Syndication Walter Mahoney. "It's what I do. I look at hundreds of submissions." He did admit the process would be "awkward," given that TMS is a sibling of the Tribune newspaper. And Mahoney stressed that he would only consider signing Greene, not necessarily do it.

Alan Shearer, editorial director and general manager of the Washington Post Writers Group, said WPWG probably wouldn't sign Greene if such a possibility arose. "Journalists are people of privilege," he said. "We get press passes to go where other people can't go. Our personal behavior has to be above reproach."

Shearer, who added that WPWG is already "loaded" with columnists, did say he wouldn't necessarily be against Greene getting a second chance somewhere after a certain amount of time goes by.

Creators Syndicate President Rick Newcombe said of a possible Greene signing: "It's hypothetical, and we'd have to cross that bridge if we came to it. On the positive side, he's a brilliant writer and he's done a lot of good. On the negative side, the girl was only 17 and introduced to Greene through her parents."

Greene, a father of two who has been married since 1971, was 41 in 1988.

Newcombe added that he would need to hear Greene's side of the story before coming to a definitive conclusion.

United Media Executive Editor Marianne Goldstein said UM wouldn't sign Greene because it has a columnist, Tad Bartimus, who covers similar ground in terms of human-interest stories and the like.

Goldstein added that she's responsible for 95 features, and thus it might be difficult to find time to deal with a column by a creator now as controversial as Greene.

Laurence M. Paul, executive editor of the New York Times Syndicate and New York Times News Service, said Greene "has not contacted us, and if he did, we would have to decide then what our position would be." He did note the NYTS and NYTNS do a lot of business abroad, and that the kind of column Greene wrote probably wouldn't be a big seller overseas.

Several executives mentioned that their syndicates' contracts with creators include ethics clauses.

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'Chron' Names Op-Ed Columnist

Is Ruth Rosen Stephanie Salter's Successor?

The San Francisco Chronicle named Ruth Rosen a twice-weekly opinion columnist, starting next month.

Is Rosen a replacement for Stephanie Salter, whose removal as a columnist resulted in two protest rallies and more than 1,500 e-mail messages from people missing her liberal voice? Chronicle Director of Public Relations Joe Brown declined to say, and he also declined to say how Rosen's politics compare to Salter's.

Chronicle Editorial Page Editor John Diaz, in a note on the paper's Web site, said Rosen has written editorials and occasional columns since joining the Chronicle two years ago. Prior to that, she taught American history for 25 years at the University of California, Davis. Rosen is the author of three books, including The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America.

Diaz said the opinion pages also will feature other changes, including periodic "personal essays" by editorial writers, a "Roll Call" listing on how politicians vote, and a flexible format that will enable the section to occasionally focus on one issue.

Salter (E&P Online, Sept. 30) now writes for the Chronicle's "Insight" section.

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Words Beneath Their Wings

NYTS Offers 'Sibley on Birds' Column

The New York Times Syndicate is offering "Sibley on Birds" by author and bird artist David Allen Sibley.

Each column is accompanied by a Sibley illustration.

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