And now Hugh is a "doddering shill" according to Steve Lopez? Oh, what a surprise...

"He’s talking about using a newspaper read by almost a million people to “push back” against . . . bloggers.

Let’s place to one side the rather ominous nature of that statement, and just examine it for its psychology.

Why does the instinctive reaction have to be to “push back”? I understand that, if you think criticism is unfair, you’d like to defend yourself. That makes sense. I get that.

But, speaking for myself, I don’t think my criticism is ever unfair. You might agree sometimes, and disagree others. (More than one L.A. Times staffer has secretly told me that they sometimes agree with me! Their names will be withheld to protect the guilty.) But agree or disagree, my complaints are always documented. And I have obtained more corrections than I can count — and have deserved far, far more.

Rather than rushing to “push back” against critics, why not stop for a second and reflect on whether the criticisms have merit?"