The post-retirement life of an academic is rarely a matter of simply stopping work. Freed from the grind of papers and grading, many turn to book projects and other intellectual pursuits.
Jack Lessenberry (Photo: Facebook)
So it is with Jack Lessenberry. But in keeping with his ignoble exit from Wayne State University -- leaving just ahead of what would have been certain firing over misconduct with female students -- the book he is publishing soon is not being greeted with universal enthusiasm.
The Pittsburgh City Paper reports:
Remember when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an editorial defending President Trump’s use of the word “shithole” when he was describing African countries? The editorial also postulated that calling someone racist for doing racist things was a step too far, and that only mass-murdering white supremacists can be deemed racist.
You probably do remember it because it was widely condemned by local leaders, foundations, and by the union of Post-Gazette journalists. But in case you don't remember the title of that panned and racist editorial, it was “Reason as racism: An immigration debate gets derailed.”
And it has recently been revealed that, for some incredibly strange and inexplicable reason, a book that is soon-to-be published about the Block Family, which owns the Post-Gazette, will be titled "Reason vs. Racism: A newspaper family, race, and justice."
The author of "Reason vs. Racism" is, of course, none other.
The Block family also publishes the Toledo Blade, where Lessenberry has long served as a contributing columnist, writing coach and ombudsman. It was also the only one of his multiple journalism-related gigs to keep him on after Deadline Detroit's 2018 report on his behavior with female colleagues and students. (Although he officially retired from WSU, an investigation found "sufficient behavior for termination" had he not done so.)
The Blade's publisher, John Robinson Block, also publishes the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and is the grandson of company founder Paul Block. Sometimes described as "eccentric," he has had notable clashes with his papers' newsroom unions but steadfastly backed Lessenberry during the latter's tribulations. In a recent Facebook post, Block wrote: “A book is about to be published containing, some good, if little known, history about my family over the decades. I am proud of this legacy.”
In Pittsburgh, at least at the City Paper, this news is being greeted with derision. The Post-Gazette editorial page endorsed Donald Trump for president and this summer removed a Black reporter from covering this summer's demonstrations over a snarky tweet. When the reporter sued, the paper's lawyers are "arguing in court that it's allowed to ignore workplace civil rights laws because it is a media company and the First Amendment protects it from following civil rights laws."
The book, which appears to be privately published, is seen as an effort to whitewash the family's legacy. There's more at the link.
The Blade's union president was amused, anyway:
lol what the fuck pic.twitter.com/l6qjBLGITf
— Nolan_Rosenkrans⚔️ (@NolanRosenkrans) December 9, 2020
