Tuesday, June 05, 2012

In new battle of the egos, it's Big Al vs. Big Hair

[Mogul mugs: Neuharth and Trump]

Retired Chairman and CEO Al Neuharth landed the first punch Friday in his weekly USA Today column. He even gave his opponent, real estate developer Donald Trump, a chance to hit back in the same column. The match so far:

Round 1
Neuharth, 88, wrote: "Trump is a smart guy in some ways. But he's a clown who loves doing or saying things, no matter how ridiculous they may be."

Trump, 65, replied: "I met Al Neuharth through George Steinbrenner, who felt sorry for Al after he left as head of his company. He sits pathetically watching the Yankee games alone. Al is an angry man who likes making up stories — and using me to stay relevant. I haven't spoken to him in years!"

Round 2
Today, Trump tweeted: "Just cancelled my subscription to @USATODAY. Boring newspaper with no mojo -- must be losing a fortune. Founder @AlNeuharth has always been a lightweight -- just like his paper."

Earlier: Big Al gives USAT publisher Hunke the big finger.

12 comments:

  1. I'm not sure who is a bigger egomaniac and blowhard. They deserve each other. Still, I would love to know who is ghostwriting for Big Al.

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  2. Is is just me, or is the first sentence of Al's column structured incorrectly? The way it reads, it implies Trump is the one wanting to be elected President (which, I know, could be the case - but not this campaign).

    "The Donald," as Donald Trump likes to be called, should be kept out of public appearances in the presidential race of Mitt Romney if he wants to be elected president.

    (Story link) http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-05-31/mitt-romney-donald-trump-fundraiser/55319192/1?sf4534355=1

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  3. It's a shame that 8:10 and 10:12 never had the chance to work with Neuharth. If they had, they wouldn't consider him a blowhard and wouldn't resort to petty criticism of sentence structure. Gannett would be well served by someone with Neuharth's intellect, vision and leadership. Certainly he was a pain in the ass, had (has) a huge ego and pushed people to their limits. There is nobody in Gannett today who could carry his water, much less fill his shoes.

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  4. 10:38, you must be one of the water-carriers who ended up in a cushy six-figure job at The Freedom Forum. And someone who bought 50 copies of his SOB book to ratchet up fake sales. I saw how he treated underlings and dealt with women. He may be a rich, demanding man, but he is not good person. He will be just one short sentence in the history of journalism.

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  5. 10:12 here for 10:38. I made no personal criticism. I did criticize his writing ability. Proper writing is (or at least was at one time before newspapers dunbed down reacers) very much an important part of journalism. Maybe the person who usually edits his column for grammar got laid off.

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  6. ... readers ...

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  7. I didnt know Al
    Really well in his salad days. But he was a nasty little shit who made his bones on his own gumption, unlike The Donald, born with a silver spoon in his mouth and an even bigger sel promoter than Al.

    All things being equal, such as thei ages, i would have to wager on Al. Trump is merely running on ego. Weve seen it before. Obama schooled him at the correspondents dinner. So will Al.

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  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  9. If Trump is canceling his USAT subscription, does this mean he will not pick-up his copy outside his hotel room?

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  10. Trump should be criticizing the USA Today of the last five years, not the version Al created. The current USAT is an irrelevant piece of garbage run into the ground by a bunch of editors and publishers who don't give a damn about journalism. They, the real selfish, egomaniacs, drove out some of the best people in the business, good folks with great ethics. Now the public gets a watered-down version of USAT that isn't worthy of the title of the "nation's newspaper."

    C'mon Trump, take a look at what's currently going on in Tysons Corner instead of going after an old man who hasn't had much to do with USAT in many years. Your showing your own age and how disconnected you are to the real problems at USAT by picking on Al. There's plenty to bash in the Crystal Palace, so send some of your people out to investigate the REAL story at USAT. You will be shocked at how the paper has basically self destructed in a few short years. As a businessman, you will be amazed at the lack of competency in the most recent regimes. And while you might actually like some of the ruthlessness that has gone on here, you probably won't agree with the talent purge that has occur. Talent = profits. Errors, lack of inspiring leaders, lies, massive layoffs with no plan B, etc = bad business.

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  11. Well said, 10:52. The level of "talent" bad before Hunke, who made it 20 times worse in a series of baffling management moves that will take Larry Kramer a long time to unwind.

    Be sure to cut early and often from the top, Larry.

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  12. I'll called Trump's office, years ago, ( long before this blog), to ask about the rumors that the Donald, made an offer to buy USAT.

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