03-22-2009 BLC FINAL EXCLUSIVE STAR'S DIUGUID LOSES COLUMN, TITLE, PAY How bad are things at the Kansas City Star these days? So bad that the word from a variety of sources is that veteran Lewis Diuguid, who lost his long-time column in December after 21 years, will now give up his Vice President title and take a major pay cut. The options offered him are still better than those given to many other folks at Kansas City's largest paper during its most recent round of layoffs and cutbacks (see list). Despite his change in status, Diuguid will be on the Star's Editorial Board helping to shape the newspaper's views on issues. Diuguid, a lightning rod for criticism by conservatives for his often inflammatory views on race relations, is said to be losing his Vice President of Community Resources title along with a pay cut to now be a writer. During the Obama presidential campaign he drew national attention for a column saying anyone who said Obama was a socialist was a racist. His "socialist is racist code language for black" comments were blasted by Rush Limbaugh and other conservative commentators as an example of some journalists who were making everything racial during the campaign. Diuguid will reportedly now work under Miriam Pepper, V-P of the Editorial Page.
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