Milbank Denies 'Post Apocalypse'

One of the big media pieces of the week, Gabe Sherman's New Republic probe of the current state of the Wash Post, has draw a wide response -- including a defensive blast from Post Co. chairman Donald Graham. Tomorrow, longtime Post columnist Dana Milbank replies in the print edition, just posted online. He sticks to business numbers, not the alleged editorial quality decline or ethical lapses, such as the recent "salon" controversy. His lede:

One of the fringe benefits of working for The Washington Post these days is you get to read your own obituary, pretty much on a weekly basis.

Last week's version of The Post's death notice was penned (if the word "penned" is still allowed in the Internet era) by one Gabe Sherman of the New Republic. Subtly titled "Post Apocalypse," the latest article about this newspaper's demise rehashes an oft-told list of Post screw-ups and documents our poor morale while tossing in descriptions such as "messy collapse," "lurching," "chaos," "paralyzed" and "trapped."

Sherman goes 4,358 words into his 4,785-word article before mentioning this bit of pertinent information: "According to multiple sources, the Post returned to profitability in the final three months of 2009." But, Sherman adds, this doesn't change "the fact that the Post remains a newspaper in distress."