95 Comments:
Way to bone your family, PAR.
»» Submitted by »»» acalhoun at 2:10 PM on June 25
I had a feeling this would get it's own thread soon. See earlier talk here.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 2:09 PM on June 25
Par Ridder perp walk:
»» Submitted by »»» matt at 2:10 PM on June 25
Nice. Can someone with animated gif skillz make his head bobble?
Who's he going to drag down with him?
»» Submitted by »»» s4xton at 2:11 PM on June 25
Maybe the whole TC daily media establishment?
»» Submitted by »»» wayne at 2:13 PM on June 25
This type of behavior is not on Par with what I expect from a newspaper publisher. Get Ridder of the guy!
/I know. I'm sorry.
»» Submitted by »»» acalhoun at 2:13 PM on June 25
Maybe the whole TC daily media establishment?
Yeah. How much lower can it go?
»» Submitted by »»» s4xton at 2:14 PM on June 25
Sounds like Par for the course....
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 2:14 PM on June 25
lol@Par.
I wonder what the logic was behind taking the non-compete agreements out of the building. One would assume there would be duplicates of those agreements floating around somewhere (if they followed my filing system of legal documents, anyway), so it wouldn't negate their existence or make them null and void if one copy disappeared.
Again: jackass. You can't do something that flagrantly stupid and not expect to get caught.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 2:15 PM on June 25
soon enough, he's going to be Par Boiled.
The par-tay is over
He's a thief par-excellence.
he's a mercenary, working for nobody in par-ticular.
par-don me, but do you mind if I steal your publisher?
»» Submitted by grote at 2:16 PM on June 25
Maybe conservative bloggers can start the campaign now for Governor Pawlenty to pardon Par Ridder, because as everyone knows, Bill Clinton and Sandy Berger commited far worse crimes, and the lapdog liberal media is covering it up.
»» Submitted by Beat U2itmaz at 2:19 PM on June 25
What par of "wrong" don't you understand?
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 2:21 PM on June 25
I wonder what the logic was behind taking the non-compete agreements out of the building
repeating my cost (cots?) vs. benefits from the premature thread...I'm sure he looked long & hard @ the income benefit of leaving vs. the cost of the potential suits and (lacking any moral virtue and knowing he was going to be public enemy #1 anyhow) he made the call to steal the data.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Strib negotiated to cover his legal costs right in his employment contract, knowing full-well what the fallout would be.
If the Strib makes him walk the plank, OTOH, I almost feel bad for him. Na, just kidding.
»» Submitted by grote at 2:19 PM on June 25
Has anyone seen Par Ridder and Mark Cuban in a room at the same time?
»» Submitted by »»» fsfitz at 2:25 PM on June 25
This is for you Max:
Ridder said the executives were verbally released from those agreements, but he said it was never put in writing.
Well...so much for my assumption that he was trying to avoid perjuring himself. Unless, of course, he said to his bosses @ The PP, "hey, about those non-competes, can we just kind of waive those", to which they sarcastically replied, "yeah, right".
»» Submitted by grote at 2:23 PM on June 25
Has anyone seen Par Ridder and Mark Cuban in a room at the same time?
coming soon...to a Dairy Queen near you!
»» Submitted by grote at 2:30 PM on June 25
I would think that stealing that information would backfire. Does a local advertiser want to continue to do business with a company that would play that dirty to get their business? Maybe it's a little Pollyanna of me to think so, but if I were the owner of a car dealership or something, I wouldn't want to associate myself with a publication that has been so denigrated in the public eye by this kind of behavior.
One thing's for sure: PiPress comes out of this whole thing smelling like a rose.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 2:28 PM on June 25
Ridder said the executives were verbally released from those agreements, but he said it was never put in writing.
If you don't get it in writing, it doesn't count. Once again: jackass. And now: moron.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 2:32 PM on June 25
Maybe the whole TC daily media establishment?
Yeah. How much lower can it go?
How do you figure Par's misdeeds have anything to do with the way the "whole TC daily media establishment" operates? He's one guy.
»» Submitted by I don't get it at 2:31 PM on June 25
Right, but this legal battle is not going to be good for either paper.
»» Submitted by »»» wayne at 2:41 PM on June 25
enjoying the comments today (and the bobblehead -- thanks DouglasG!)
keep thinking about Pat buying the Magers mansion and reminding myself that the rich ARE different from you and me. apparently they're one heck of a lot dumber
The Par Bobblehead will be making a comeback, I predict.
if I were the owner of a car dealership or something, I wouldn't want to associate myself with a publication that has been so denigrated in the public eye by this kind of behavior.
Yes...especially among a group of such high ethical regard, such as car dealers.
»» Submitted by grote at 3:00 PM on June 25
Well, fine, then I own a coffee shop. Either way, in my mind, it doesn't make good business sense to get yourself into a situation where you have to expose all of the dirty deals that are best left behind the scenes.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 3:02 PM on June 25
I think it's a little Pollyanna of you to think so, josie. Want to buy a car? Or get in my hot tub?
»» Submitted by Denny the Heckler at 3:04 PM on June 25
See, this is why it'd be a waste of time and money for me to start my own business. I'd be the only one playing nice and I'd end up in the poorhouse.
Really, Mister, you have a hot tub? And you'll give me a Snickers bar? I'll ask my mom if I can come over!
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 3:13 PM on June 25
reliable sources indicate that bobblehead Par was just forwarded to the entire Pi Press newsroom
and there's a great picture of him on the Strib website, with a deer in the headlights kind of facial expression
Oh, and Par after 3 days without hair gel:
I'm dying laughing, Douglas, thank you.
Now if only someone would LOLcat this deer-in-headlights picture of Par you speak of, my day would be complete.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 3:26 PM on June 25
great idea, josie but I will leave photo alterations to the younger, tech-savvy mnspeakers
maybe we need a Par caught in Dean Singleton's headlights. Or maybe it doesn't need alternations at all. that facial expression IS worth at least 1,000 words. . . too long for the typical dumbed-down Strib story these days
and I was going to (nicely) ask DpuglasG for dancing Par feet but then I remembered he probably should have his feet chained together
Par's Par-p walk, captured by a STrib photographer.
http://www.startribune.com/535/story/1266979-a1267257-t3.html
»» Submitted by user at 3:38 PM on June 25
Of Par, one of the usual suspects just said to me:
This guy is the ass-end of a proud dynasty. Like the Bushes.
A good summation. Perhaps I'll embroider it onto a pillow and mail it to Par in the slammer
Boo! Those gutless Stribbers just took down the Par perp-walk picture!
The link just worked for me.
»» Submitted by »»» miller at 3:53 PM on June 25
Bobblehead Par is pretty funny.
»» Submitted by »»» s4xton at 3:56 PM on June 25
I like afro-Par!
Reminds me of the day when I had to drive from lily-white Warren Township (now no longer white nor lilly) to "Black Indy" to buy an Ace black rubber pick for my new stylin' Disco 'Fro! Stopped off at Zeps on Indiana Avenue and had some ribs, with the famious Mambo sauce!
Sigh..
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 3:52 PM on June 25
no, the link is great (thanks, user)
but if you go to startribune.com you get a picture of singleton and then another less scary one of Par. that's what I just saw on their web page. . .
no, the link is great (thanks, user)
but if you go to startribune.com you get a picture of singleton and then another less scary one of Par. that's what I just saw on their web page. . .
Aaron, I bet you'll lolPar for me. Come on! You're a lolgenius!!
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 3:59 PM on June 25
OK Josie...
but you owe me!
Par vs. President
»» Submitted by grote at 4:05 PM on June 25
YAY!!!! Thank you!!!
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 4:09 PM on June 25
A Par-don on the way from AVISTA?
»» Submitted by bud jr at 4:09 PM on June 25
»» Submitted by »»» s4xton at 4:15 PM on June 25
Anyone else detect a nose job?
»» Submitted by yepnope at 4:17 PM on June 25
I have piles of internet cookies for Doug and Aaron. Yay!!!!!
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 4:23 PM on June 25
»» Submitted by »»» s4xton at 4:33 PM on June 25
LOL
thanks DouglasG and s4xton and josie, too! heck, I'd bake you creative folks some real cookies (I'm a 4-H food judge)
I love the LOLParRidders.
»» Submitted by »»» kwatt at 4:59 PM on June 25
That Parratt chick is SOL.
»» Submitted by bud jr at 5:08 PM on June 25
What are you all doing talking like that about my boss? Don't you know that he told us he is inocent? He said that he had nothing to do with it and we all believe him. So, stop talking about our leader like that.
»» Submitted by Stribboy at 5:01 PM on June 25
Stribboy, take me.
»» Submitted by buyout at 5:11 PM on June 25
»» Submitted by Separated at Birth? at 5:19 PM on June 25
Good to see The Leader of The Free World has a handle on the issues.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 5:23 PM on June 25
Two doorks.
»» Submitted by . at 5:35 PM on June 25
Can't wait to hear what Kate Parry has to say about the flood of hatemail that the Strib is about to get over Par-Gate. If she had balls, she'd just publish her letter of resignation, as in, "I am above this sort of behavior, I'm so outta here"
»» Submitted by grote at 5:37 PM on June 25
Can't wait to hear what Kate Parry has to say
She'll blame it all on Alexis.
»» Submitted by just sayin' at 6:23 PM on June 25
Take me, submitted by buyout. Excellent use of the anonymous name box. Well-done.
And Aaron, Par with the pile of shredded paper is priceless. Brilliant.
This all seems so incredibly amazing to me. It's textbook violation of intellectual property and non-compete. I'm really quite speechless, actually, for maybe the first time in my life.
I keep thinking there's got to be another side of the story or some good defense work, but if not, this is the most classic bungle of "duh" I've ever encountered.
Keep the LOLpart coming. It may be MnSpeak's unique contribution to Twin Cities' culture.
Well, that and dancing DeRusha.
Keep the LOLpart coming. It may be MnSpeak's unique contribution to Twin Cities' culture.
Now we're really reaching to find something, anything that MnSpeak can contribute to the Twin Cities.
»» Submitted by »»» s4xton at 8:10 PM on June 25
Quit gabbing and get back to LOLparing, Aaron.
I've noticed the star tribune has been making a habbit of copying articles directly from the Washington Post.
»» Submitted by john612 at 8:38 PM on June 25
»» Submitted by »»» bandini at 10:16 PM on June 25
greatness
»» Submitted by »»» kwatt at 10:30 PM on June 25
just spit summit scandia ale all over my keyboard
thank you.
»» Submitted by grote at 10:31 PM on June 25
grote...serious? Scandia???? That's lame. Get back on the beer thread. Jesus. (Even though you think of him as a prophet.)
»» Submitted by »»» aeklund at 10:38 PM on June 25
Bandini totally wins. OMFG.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 11:22 PM on June 25
Also, I am SO glad I asked for an LOLParRidder. Who knew the greatness that existed within the fertile minds of MNspeakers?
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 11:23 PM on June 25
Goal Bandini! Goooooal!!!
»» Submitted by »»» teucer at 11:25 PM on June 25
Actually, Andrew, Jesus was way cool.
I know...I drank my last Furious while grilling and it was either raid the liquor cabinet or tap into S_rote's beer stash, which was 6 Scandias...and weeks that start with Monday trips to the liquor cabinet usually don't end well.
»» Submitted by grote at 11:30 PM on June 25
thanks bandini! laughed so hard I woke up my household's two LOL cats
(josie thanks to you that is my new favorite time-wasting site)
can par come to the mnspeak gathering and entertain us? just read lambert's piece in the rake on today's court hearing and it is absolutely damning. this guy is soooo stupid. . . par, not lambert
www.rakemag.com/
Lambert's piece.
»» Submitted by Linkman at 1:02 AM on June 26
This is another reason why I don't trust the local news media. You got idiots like Pat Ridder, who manages to make a confession on a videotape that he stole private information from Pioneer Press workers, and therefore pass the information along to the partisan elites at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Perhaps what made this story even worse though is the fact that the Strib continues to deny that they have a problem with a form of journalism ethics, regarding Ridder tenure with the paper; they managed to create the biggest scandal in the history of the newspaper industry and these asses don't want to admit the hard truth about it. So, as usual, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune goes into partisan hyper-drive by making up a misinformed, propaganda story in the business section about how Pat Ridder is seen as the victim of an unofficial crime that he didn't commit.
It's often worse when you see the news anchors on WCCO TV lying to you about a local political story at the state capitol or a crime report in the metro area that has no merit on the social, rational subject, but it is damaging for a known paper that always take on a extreme liberal position in the pleasure for the DFL elite in which the paper's own editor and CEO is involved in a covert sting operation against his former company, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, for political reasons. Yet, this is why so many of us, especially the younger crowd, are switching over to the internet and web blogs for real news, not some MSM outlet that takes orders to a small vocal minority that has no concept in pure democracy. And I don't (*bleeping) care if you clowns on this thread have the sudden audacity to slander me or anyone, who bash journalists in the namesake of morality and ethics. If FOX news can be slammed by critics for the lack of better coverage, then it should withhold the same critical standards to both the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the local news media outlets like radio and TV stations that has a problem, a serious one, to lie constantly in a straight face and not reporting on the REAL facts.
»» Submitted by Big G at 12:34 AM on June 25
Wow. That Lambert piece ...
This is going to be interesting. I'm keeping that perp walk Par bobblehead LOLZ gif on hand for when I need it again.
Sounds like he took it out of his personnel file, not to hide it, not to say "what agreement?" or "no, it didn't say THAT", but because removal would be one piece of evidence that it had been waived for him. Combine that with his testimony of waiver, and he's close. Find a witness, or get a PP admission about that conversation, and he's home.
In any case, enforcement of noncompetes is a tough thing to get courts to do, and they usually insist that every single i is crossed and t dotted before they'll consider them, because they so drastically constrain someone's right to work. If Par makes even a half-n-half case that there was a waiver (or, maybe even that his conversation led him to reasonably think there was a waiver), he may be safe. I'd not count him out on that yet, at all. Plus, if he truly signed the NC two weeks after he was hired, it may be out. If you hire someone, but then, two weeks later say "oh, you need to sign this", you have problems, because the original contract didn't include that term, so, if you want to make a new contract involving the NC, you can, but contracts have two sides, so you have to trade something for the new contract.
And, the data admission was no big thing, at least based on what info the paper ran. Yeah, he took it. Yeah, it was on the laptop. But, did the Strib USE IT in any fashion? If not, no harm, no foul, really. If this article said they used it, I missed it somehow.
And, will advertisers hate the Strib? Had they used the rate info, they could then undercut PP rates, which is the only real use of such data to someone else. Net effect to advertisers: cheaper ad rates. Oh, yeah, they'll be up in arms.
Oh, and I'm guessing the Strib won't be putting extra mail openers on duty to handle the flood of mail from people outraged at such conduct. First, I saw little (nothing, to be more precise) that makes the Strib itself sound bad, plus, NO ONE ELSE CARES, GUYS! People here tend to be a bit mediapomorphic, (note the polite understatement). but real world (non-media) people have tuned this story out long ago. So, letters will come from you guys, your friends and business acquaintances, and people who hate the Strib passionately and will revel in any Strib-mud they can find.
»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 1:18 AM on June 26
"Wow. That Lambert piece ..."
Lambert got one major point right:
"Lacking any real legal expertise beyond what I've seen on "Law and Order" and my half dozen trips to small claims court, (four wins, two losses), I'm no expert."
But then he keeps on writing. And, damn, he was so close, too:
"But it is almost impossible to see how Ridder skates on this one."
Lacking any real expertise in chemistry or physics or math, or, ya' know, non-humanities subjects, I know I'm no expert, but it is almost impossible to see how anyone can claim the earth revolves around the sun.
Ridder may well sink, but the factors cited by this lambert person are just . . . not factors.
»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 1:49 AM on June 26
bobby, thanks for the succinct discussion of what is right vs. what a lawyer can help you get away with.
»» Submitted by sayin' too at 7:58 AM on June 26
Another non-lawyer weighs in: I understand the part about how you have to get something of value if you sign a non-compete after your employment begins.
But every non-compete I've ever heard of pays the person in question for the non-compete period. Usually, for high-level execs or people like TV anchors, it means they sit out a year with pay.
Wouldn't that count as receiving something of value? I call a year's pay value.
»» Submitted by Ex-Stribber at 8:54 AM on June 26
thanks, bobby_b, as usual I respect your lawyerly expertise
but as a non-lawyer, I'd STILL have to go to my basement workshop, get the glitter and hot glue gun out and make Par a world's dumbest client plaque
didn't some of his actions strike anyone else as rather stupid?
Ex-Stribber, that's not normally how non-competes work in TV. Usually the new employer pays the person to sit for a year, a la KARE and Julie Nelson. She had a non-compete with KSTP. KARE paid her.
Often non-competes are thrown out because of exactly what Bobby B said: nothing of value was exchanged, making it an invalid contract. Or the non-compete overreaches. 3 months is reasonable. 6 months is iffy. 1 year is usually unreasonable.
TV people don't typically challenge the non-competes, as it's career suicide.
Strictly legally speaking, there's plenty of chances for Par to get out of this, as Bobby_B has indicated. But even my lawyer wife exclaimed this morning when reading the Strib's coverage this morning, "It's like he was trying to be stupid by being stupid to prove he's stupid."
If his pa wasn't in charge, he would be gone by now.
Boy not done good, but Ridder name must be protected.
BTW, due to vast difference in circulation, "undercutting" the PP rates wasn't the end game.
Adjusting accordingly for their (Strib) St Paul circ or their overall CPM was.
Chris Harte has to take the heat for this one.
»» Submitted by bud jr at 10:01 AM on June 26
Is "I don't recall" and "I didn't read the documents" really an ironclad defense? Criminy.
Would Par be gainfully employed by anyone if he wasn't a Ridder? Right now he's coming off as the biggest f-ing buffoon.
»» Submitted by »»» josie at 10:31 AM on June 26
Is "I don't recall" and "I didn't read the documents" really an ironclad defense?
it's good enough for the justice department!
»» Submitted by »»» wayne at 10:42 AM on June 26
I have to step in here and say "woah woah woah" about the dissage of Scandia. It's good!
»» Submitted by »»» wayne at 10:43 AM on June 26
What if they gave Par a nice Star Tribune pen or can coozy? Wouldn't those be things of value?
»» Submitted by Ex-Stribber at 10:46 AM on June 26
Se"PAR"ated at birth?
»» Submitted by Toonces at 1:03 PM on June 26
Ha! You can drive my car any time, Toonces.
»» Submitted by »»» teucer at 1:06 PM on June 26
"It's like he was trying to be stupid by being stupid to prove he's stupid."
I don't think anyone has or can say it better.
»» Submitted by Cat at 1:07 PM on June 26
What happened here is unprecedented, Singleton said of Ridders actions. Its never happened before in newspapering. And its wrong. Its just wrong.
Read more here.
»» Submitted by »»» justpbob at 2:40 PM on June 26
Nothing like inbreeding, nepotism and a bad nosejob to keep the affluent rich.
»» Submitted by »»» wayne at 2:43 PM on June 26
I would like to say to all of the Stribbers (and PiPress people too) who wandered over to my blog, "Hello! It was all just done in fun. We kid. Thanks for stopping by!"
»»» = registered user. click on it to see the user's profile.
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The Ridder Rundown: Ridder "meant no harm": Testifying in person at yesterday's injunction hearing in Ramsey District Court, Star Tribune publisher Par Ridder said he "didn't plan on using the Pioneer Press financials" because to do so would give the Star ...
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