Ending Confusion

We were taken aback by a letter on impressive bond paper from a law firm in New York (with offices in Washington, Los Angeles, Miami and, of course, Paris) alerting us to the risk that Jim Romenesko’s MediaNews could be confused with MediaNews Group, Inc., publisher of The Denver Post, the Los Angeles Daily News and other newspapers.

The gist of the law firm’s concern seems to be that eliminating the space between the words Media and News might prompt the unsophisticated, raffish crowd who tune in to Poynter Online to think it was Dean Singleton in his pajamas pecking away at the keyboard in Romenesko’s Evanston apartment.

For the record (and to appease the folks at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP), it is not Dean Singleton whose work you read on our website. Neither Jim Romenesko nor his MediaNews has any association with MediaNews Group, Inc. (We’re still working on how to say that in French.)

Despite the law firm’s kind suggestion that we resolve this perilous situation by placing an em of space between Media and News, we’ll decline, thanks. But we do owe the ever-alert folks at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP our gratitude for prompting us to do something we might’ve gotten around to eventually — recognizing Romenesko’s singular contribution to journalists and the ways in which his name has become its own brand.

From now on, his blog will be called Romenesko.
Cheers,
Jim Naughton

MediaNews lawyer’s letter to Poynter 11/26/2002
Poynter lawyer’s letter to MediaNews lawyer 12/13/2002
MediaNews lawyer’s letter to Poynter lawyer 1/8/2003
Poynter lawyer’s letter to MediaNews lawyer 1/31/2003