MORE PRESS CONTORTIONS. New York Press managed to print and distribute this week's issue despite the disappearance of its cartoon controversy story and the subsequent disappearance of editor-in-chief Harry Siegel and three editorial staffers. There are some notes of subversion within its pages, though. The cover is described on the inside front page as "Joe Illustrator's sanitized, non offensive vision of Valentine's Day joy." Repeated twice on the same page (in the letters section and the masthead) is this statement:

FOR THE RECORD
The editors, along with city hall bureau man Azi Paybarah, have resigned in response to ownership’s 11th-hour decision to pull the now infamous Danish cartoons, as we didn’t feel we could in good conscience produce an issue about the cartoons and the violent reaction to them without running the images themselves, as doing so would mean capitulating to threats of further violence. As such, we take no responsibility for the contents of the volume you hold.
—Harry Siegel, Tim Marchman and Jonathan Leaf

Also, in the hard copy, the last response of sex columnist Dr. Dot ends with

That “Pick me, I’m sad and lonely” crap only works for

though online the sentence is completed:

That “Pick me, I’m sad and lonely” crap only works for animals in pet stores.

I'll leave it to you to decide whether you want discover the context of that, but such sloppiness is par for NYPress, controversy or not.

I caught Azi Paybarah on NY1 some hours ago; he got off to a slow start but I liked how he described his family. Let's see if I got it right: His Dad is from Iran, his Mom is a Long Island Jew, and Azi went to Catholic School. Apparently the three of them managed to get along tolerably well without resorting to riots and violent crackdowns.

What will the paper do without its top editors? I haven't the slightest idea, though I understand that Rory Gilmore has lots of talent and no need for a real salary. The fact that she's female would make her hiring quite an event at NYPress, too. Just beware of that friend of hers, Paris! For now, NYPress's online job listings don't seem to register a need for any editors, just editorial interns and $30K/year ad execs. That starkly contrasts the current Village Voice, where this showed up on the Letters page:

Editor in chief wanted:

The Village Voice, America's flagship alternative weekly, is seeking an editor in chief to carry on the paper's storied tradition of investigative journalism, feature-length storytelling, and cutting-edge cultural criticism. Applicants should have a fine touch with copy, significant experience crafting stories in magazine style, and strong reporting chops. They should be able to help staff generate superior in-depth stories that explain how New York City works, and guide beginning writers as well as accomplished ones. The ideal candidate will be able to edit and write, leading by example rather than by dictate.

Qualified candidates should send a cover letter, résumé, and clips to:

Christine Brennan
c/o Westword
969 Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80203

Anyway, getting back to New York Press, the New York Observer now shares this publisher's statement:

New York Press takes our responsibility to our community as a 'Free Press' very seriously. We came to the same conclusion as many other responsible newspapers and media outlets that have chosen to not run the Danish cartoons. We felt the images were not critical for the editorial content to have merit, would not hinder our readers from making an informed opinion and only served to further fan the flame of a volatile situation.

What I like most about the item is this reader response:

and, folks, let's not forget: that NYPress job is a nightmare. tons of work, minimal readership, less credibility, and zero pay. it couldn't have been all that hard for harry and the boys to tell the boss to shove it. they would do just as well blogging it -- especially after this.

There. Someone said it. Thanks, franklin!