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Will Kersten keep a regular gig in the Star Tribune's pages?

By David Brauer | 01/13/09

Monday, Katherine Kersten penned her last column for the Star Tribune. But it might be more accurate to say her last column for the Strib's Metro section.

Kersten said nothing about her future in print, but Monday afternoon, she left this comment on her "Think Again" blog:

Thanks, everyone. I’m still in discussions with the paper about continuing Think Again and writing a weekly column on the op-ed page as an outsider. These things take time.

So perhaps we can still get your fingers dirty on Kersten's copy after all — though she'd be Scott Gillespie's hot potato, not Nancy Barnes'.

It's old news that Strib management offered Kersten and Nick Coleman freelance (read: unguaranteed) opinion-section gigs as a lovely parting gift. However, weekly frequency is a new facet, and more regular than I expected.

On some level, it makes sense: local cultural conservatives deserve a place at the ops table, and the Strib has made Kersten that segment's highest-profile, highest-traffic tribune.

Then again, KK is a very familiar figure, having started her career as a Strib opinionator. Her particular interpretation of "first principles" makes her a bit, shall we say, repetitious. For readers, would the inevitable aspersions on gay families and selected Muslims go down any easier in ops?

Comments (7)

Submitted by Susan Berkson on January 13, 2009 - 1:36pm.

I almost wrote, "God forbid"; but on the other hand, what does it matter?

Submitted by Dan Kitzmann on January 13, 2009 - 2:32pm.

I don't think it much matters either. In my opinion, the Strib op-ed page stopped being a significant "ops table" a few years ago--even before its traditional news coverage and reportage was cut. I believe most good writers would be more pleased to have their stuff published in any number of other places.

Incidentally, I think Kersten's writing poor and her politics goofy, but I don't believe she is any more repetitive or predictable than most columnists--even ones who generally write well and are not ideological berzerkers. For instance, E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post is reasonably good. Still, anybody who reads him knows pretty much exactly what he is going to say in a column and how he is going to say it based on the topic sentence.

Submitted by Ed Stych on January 13, 2009 - 4:08pm.

Dan Kitzmann is on the mark. The Strib's op-ed page hasn't been relevant for years. I haven't read it for years, mostly because we all know exactly what it's going to say. I may skim the op-ed headlines on Sunday, but we again know what will be written below the headline.

And Dan is correct that there's no reason to pick on Kersten for being repetitious. Most opinion writers are. That happens when you hold strongly to one worldview or the other.

Submitted by Thomas Swift on January 13, 2009 - 4:52pm.

Wouldn't it be more correctly said that Kersten has made "that segment" the Strib's highest-profile, highest-traffic tribune?

The editors can control her profile, but is was she that accounted for the traffic, no?

Submitted by chris hatch on January 14, 2009 - 9:06am.

to be honest, I have never understood why most columnists aren't on the op-ed page.

Submitted by Ted Snyder on January 14, 2009 - 2:17pm.

Kathrine Kersten was a poor choice to provide conservative "balance" to the Strib pages. I believe newspaper columnists should first be journalists so that they know the difference between facts and opinion. Kersten never got that right and so her more controversial columns were followed by letters to the editor offering data-based corrections. Columns used to be rewards for outstanding journalism by reporters. The Strib's affirmative action for right wingers in the person of Kersten cheapened the paper's tone and content. One can have strong principles and also do responsible, fact based opinion writing. Kersten consistently fell short of the mark. Shame on the Strib for tolerating Kersten for as long as it did.

Submitted by B Maginnis on January 14, 2009 - 6:51pm.

The handwringers will never be satisfied by ANY conservative view, or columnist, in the Strib.

But the vicious personal attcks on Kersten (and Palin) demonstrate the absolute depths of liberal misery.

I have yet to see ONE proven instance of Kersten not being "fact based".

Morality and decency are not something that needs fact checking, but the Ted Snyders of the world will never "get" that - they just like to use the word journalist as a sinecure for "feel good".