Steve Cameron: Sun Dog right guy for the job

Tom Frazier is an idiot.

No, wait!

That may not be the correct choice of words.

Perhaps Tom is an expert on 15th-century English literature, or maybe he can write complicated computer programs in his sleep. He may even be one of those guys who can repeat the words from every Broadway musical of the past half-century.

So it's unfair of me to claim that Tom is a complete idiot.

What I can say, without any fear of a misstep, is that for a guy masquerading as the "voice of the people" in the Sun-Star, Tom Frazier doesn't know squat about the newspaper business.

Maybe that's why he was hired to act as the paper's "guardian" -- because Executive Editor Mike Tharp actually wanted someone with no knowledge of what we do.

Well, if ignorance was the intention, Mike definitely got the right guy.

Yep, I know -- some of you could be reading this and thinking: "Cameron is just shooting back because Frazier teed him up last week in a 'Sun Dog' column."

Sure, I'll freely admit that some things Frazier wrote in that piece pushed me to the keyboard for this response.

But my objection, I'm guessing, does not concern what you suspect.

Look, Tom is perfectly free to gabble about how lousy my news-related columns might be. Just like you or anyone else.

Part of a columnist's role is to create discussion, and that starts with stating opinions.

Some people will agree, some will not.

That's the gig, take it or leave it.

Anyway, the fact that Tom may not like my political views, or whether he thinks I oversimplify controversial subjects, or whatever his beef ...

Fine.

Flail away, big boy.

However ...

One of Tom's main themes in that hatchet job was terribly, almost childishly misinformed.

So I want everyone, Frazier included, to grasp something very basic about the newspaper biz -- a point on which Tom seems utterly clueless.

In that "Sun Dog" shout, Tom came to the conclusion that my role must be to rile up the citizenry -- to get everyone's attention.

Tom even spoke to Tharp in an effort to prove his point, and seemed thrilled with Mike's response that I sometimes can be a "lightning rod" who causes sparks among readers.

I promise you: Mike knew that Frazier's premise was wrong.

But like a good editor, he let the guy run with it. Mike wants Frazier to try speaking for our readers, and that's what Tom thought he was doing.

The problem with this outburst, however, is that readers have no reason to understand the business model involved in newspaper publishing -- whereas Frazier should have done a bit of research.

Since he didn't, let me help out everyone and make something crystal clear.

There is an old cliché that goes like this: "You guys only printed that story to sell newspapers."

I would guess that maybe 80 percent of our readers believe that potential circulation enters into editorial decisions -- and that a newspaper might run a fairly controversial story or column simply to boost numbers.

Gang, I hate to break this to you and Frazier, but ...

It's a myth.

No matter how outrageous my columns, no matter how angry people get or how many Web hits arrive in response, I can't generate enough revenue for McClatchy to buy a large pizza.

It's like pretending I could make an aircraft carrier list to port simply by walking over to the left-hand deck railing.

No, Tom, "selling papers" has nothing to do with my opinions.

Ask better questions and you'd already know that.

Sorry, but you'll have to rip me about something else.

Steve Cameron writes for the Sun-Star. He can be reached at stevecameron1000@gmail.com.