t’s ghastly to take a look at the old “Tribune”…prior to last Monday…and see its clean lines, finely arranged white space with superb headlining and photo juxtaposition in relation to stories…and see the horrible hash now masquerading as the product. Designed apparently by a committee, it evinces total confusion over what it wants to be: a challenger to the blatantly sexual “Sun-Times” or a localized edition of “USA Today.” You search in vain to find the editorial pages. Almost everywhere they are in the back of the first section. Not here: they are tacked improbably to the Business section. With huge black and white photos there is only room for one…or at the most…two columns. As recorded here yesterday, the Pulitzer prize-winning Charles Krauthammer is dissed over to the “Trib’s” internet edition to make room for the latest critic of Sarah Palen.

Yesterday’s “Trib” or the sad representation of what used-to-be featured a huge photo of the grimacing tavern-owner from the Near North Side who has a nude representation of Palen over his bar. The decadent “Sun-Times” probably slobbers with envy that its wretched taste was topped by this intruder on its semi-porno trade.

Congratulations, Tribsters. You didn’t want to wait for the inevitable death due to growing urban illiteracy but decided to apply euthanasia itself. Is it possible that just like the fans who lobbied for return of the old Coca-Cola a return of the pristine, classy-appearing paper will occur? There is a chance if people will lobby the Tower.