<div>

David Carr’s story in today’s New York Times reveals the multiple ways that Sam Zell’s team has bankrupted the Tribune Company. Carr credited Vocalo blogger Robert Feder to breaking news back in June about an after-hours poker game at the Tribune Tower…in Colonel McCormick’s old office.

Apparently today’s Times article came as no surprise to ‚ The Atlantic’s James Fallows, who compares what Sam Zell and Co. is doing to their newspapers to a doctor letting a patient bleed out. The Nation says that Editor & Publisher warned us about this years ago. Gawker picked up the story, or as they call it, “how not to run a media company.” They think the debacle would be funny except‚  for the employees whose stock options have been taken down with their company and who have been left with worthless stocks. Business Insider seems to think the company’s updated handbook was to blame: “You might experience an attitude you don’t share. You might hear a joke that you don’t consider funny. That is because a loose, fun, nonlinear atmosphere is important to the creative process.” They think this paved the way for the inappropriate behavior that followed. Politico is calling the article the “Tribune takedown.” They referenced CEO Randy Michaels’ email to staffers (posted in full on Poynter) in which Michaels references author David Carr’s memoir in a not-so-subtle attempt to undermine his journalistic credibility. LA Observed has compiled tweets from journos reacting to the article, David Kaplan of Paid Content calls the piece, “a combo of Barbarians At The Gate, Decline & Fall Of The Roman Empire, Animal House” The Atlantic Wire focuses on what the bloggers are saying, including Feder’s current blog post.