Wednesday, April 04, 2007

 

Over the last few days, blogger Dave Guarino has written extensively about the Globe metro columnist slot that opened up when Eileen McNamara left. In addition to listing some possible successors (e.g. Carolyn* Ryan, Yvonne Abraham, Beth Healy), Guarino lavished praise on metro columnist Brian McGrory, who’s since shifted into McNamara’s coveted Wed/Sun slot:

Anyone who knows me or has read this blog probably figured out by now that I'm an unapologetic fan of Brian McGrory, the Boston Globe's Metro columnist.

For me, it's as simple as this: He's the only writer in town - from either paper - that I will read start to finish no matter what the subject.

There are several others who come close, "Downtown" columnist Steve Bailey and my former boss Joe Sciacca (when he had his column). But it's McGrory who, I think, truly carries the pulse of Boston. It wasn't always that way. I think he has truly hit his stride in the last two years - wonderfully skewering pols (yes, including ones I have/do work for), telling stories of woe and triumph no one else will and truly covering the city from the columnist's chair.

Afterward, Guarino favorably reviewed McGrory’s fiction.

Here’s what’s interesting about Guarino’s observations: in addition to blogging, Guarino is also communications director for Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi. Which raises the question: was Guarino praising McGrory as a private citizen, or as DiMasi’s top flack? Here’s how a Media Log reader put it: "Should David Guarino, press secretary to Sal DiMasi, be blogging about the media? Doesn't Sal own everything Guarino writes, just like John Edwards did? So far, it's mild stuff, but still...."

I emailed Guarino last night on this subject and haven’t heard back; if he replies, I’ll post it here. In the meantime, remember that Governor Deval Patrick's recent attempt to bifurcate his public and private lives failed. Finally, here's my advice for Brian McGrory: don't let Guarino sweet-talk you into writing a puff piece about his boss.

*CORRECTION: Not "Caroline," as I originally wrote, who's bound for the Times anyway.

4/4/2007 10:31:57 AM by Adam Reilly | Comments [2] |