Did NYP Columnist Reveal Steinbrenner’s ‘Dementia’?

And Did The Post Bury It?

When you have an extremely awkward news story, bury it before the July 4th holiday and hope noone will notice. That’s what the New York Post did with a piece on rumors of George Steinbrenner‘s senile dementia. Columnist Phil Mushnick noted that the owner has been unusually quiet during a bad season for the Yankees, with public statements limited to quotes from friend and PR guru Howard Rubinstein:

“All reasonable signs indicate that his dementia — he’ll be 77 the day after tomorrow — is now so profound that he is being carefully hidden from public view, appearing only in occasional, circumspect quotes issued by his longtime personal public relations man, Howard Rubenstein. It’s understandable. A delicate, respectful and sensitive approach has been taken.”

Forbes‘ namedropping media columnist James Brady deconstructed Mushnick’s story and the deeper questions of covering delicate news stories. A good read. Seriously. We mean it.

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