So much for journalistic justice. Little wonder that time and time again I have longed to offer, besides a sympathetic ear, the name and address of some authoritative, quasi-official body better equipped to address complicated grievances than an eight-hundred-word column published six times a year. Little wonder, too, perhaps, that I’ve come to recall the once (and future?) National News Council, for all its failings and foibles and flaws, with a sort of fondness. Still, such frustrations notwithstanding, Darts & Laurels will go on trying to do its best, recording, for the edification of all and sundry, some of the lows and highs in the day-to-day performance of our matchless press.
For my part, I’ve lingered long enough, and it’s time to pass the torch. To those who will follow me in this heady and humbling job, I wish every possible success. To those I’ve disappointed, I extend regrets. And to those who have given me your trust, well, Here’s looking at you. No matter what the future brings, we’ll always have the Laurels.
