Fact or Fiction? Punches Thrown in WaPo Newsroom!

[Ian David]

Fact or Fiction? Punches Thrown in WaPo Newsroom!
By Matt Dornic on Nov 02, 2009 09:34 AM

First On FishbowlDC: FACT! We're still working on the details but we've confirmed that Henry Allen did throw a punch at Manuel Roig-Franzia in the newsroom last Friday. We hear that punch landed on Franzia's face...

FishbowlDC spoke with WaPo HR this morning and confirmed that both reporters are still employed at the paper. We did learn that Allen was "on contract."

UPDATE:

When reached for comment, WaPo's Director of Communications Kris Coratti said, "I can't discuss private personnel matters but that doesn't mean we haven't taken this incident seriously and addressed it appropriately."

So what does one have to say in order to get a fist to the face from Henry Allen? "Henry, don't be such a cocksucker." That's what triggered Allen to throw down on Roig-Franzia. We hear that Marcus Brauchli was then forced to intervene.

More:
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/newspapers/fact_or_fiction_punches_thrown_in_wapo_newsroom_141907.asp

[Ian David]

1. Washington Post Employees Now Just Beating Each Other Up At Work

Washington Post Employees Now Just Beating Each Other Up At Work

Seems like only yesterday that the folks over at the Washington Post were going to get rich by tapping the insatiable need of politicians and lobbyists to eat fondue at Katharine Weymouth's house as a revenue stream, bringing glory days and special favors for ever and ever. Now, much has changed, as executive editor Marcus Brauchli is having to break up the vicious fights between Post staffers, who are all just hitting each other, in the face, at all times. Harry Jaffe has more at the Washingtonian's Capital Comment blog.

Apparently, this whole folderol began when, in the wake of the accidental disclosure of a confidential House ethics committee report, Monica Hesse and Manuel Roig-Franzia were assigned to prepare this "charticle" of accidental disclosures throughout history.

Veteran Style section editor Henry Allen found it unsatisfactory and began "ranting about the number of mistakes he had found," Jaffe reports. From there, that "charticle" tore the fragile newsroom apart in a melee of employee-on-employee punchings.

Allen, according to sources, said: "This is total crap. It's the second worst story I have seen in Style in 43 years."

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/02/iwashington-posti-employe_n_342337.html