I'm sure you'd get a lot of response on that, victor, from other writers and editors, especially those who have been in your position. And you must leave the Buffy bit in. Slowly, slowly, our obsession slips into the public zeitgeist (and, gosh, I hope I'm using that word properly and not in a fit of misguided pretension).

Victor, that's a damned good statement of perception there. Also damned well-written, but I'd expect no less.

A couple of quick touches, cosmetic:

Hyphens. Could you make them consistent? We have this "Often, I found that my readers—the sorts you’d run into in coffee houses, record stores and comic book stores--gave great feedback" where the first part of the insert is a single hyphen usage, but it closes with a double. That made me go back and look for something I'd missed. I'd also suggest turning one particular hyphen into a colon, since it designates a list ("everything I had wanted it to be—satirical, caustic and, modesty aside, well read").

I love the rest. And BTW? KICK her ASS.

Looks good, Victor. The only grammarish thing that stuck out at me was

Bargaining took place as a sort of negotiation, as I began contacting colleagues to, in the first place, re-assure me that this behavior was bizarre and, in the second, to seek advice on starting the column elsewhere.

The repetition of the "to," and that "in the first place" splitting the sentence awkwardly. Maybe it could be

Bargaining took place as a sort of negotiation, as I began contacting colleagues, in the first place, for re-assurance that this behavior was bizarre and, in the second, for advice on starting the column elsewhere.

Other than that, it's great.

Just a couple quick notes on the typo level:

basically pirated form Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Should be "from"

than there’s be no journalists left

Should be "then there'd be"

Writers and editors need to work to make each story the best that it can be. That’s a dire responsibility to the reader.

I'm not sure the second sentence follows as clearly as you need it to from the first; to me, it sounds like a leap to placing the responsibility on the reader. Just MHO.

Looks good, and I hope it was cathartic!

Xposted, I'm sure, with several others:

2.) Anger. Actually, “anger” is too mild. More like “White-Hot Fury.” I’d stuck through that paper

Should be "stuck to"

basically pirated form Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Thank God for the super-ego.

pirated "from"

in the second, to seek advice on starting the column elsewhere.

"in the second, seek advice" --You already have the "to" in the preceeding clause.

then it’s time for the writer to stand their ground, even if it means being shown the door.

Either "writers" or "stand his or her ground"

The content is pure and well-said, though, Victor. Hope her ears burn.

Thanks all for the feedback. The grammaticals will be fixed when I get home.

One last, quick question. Does it sound whiny and self-important? I hate the thought of sounding all "poor me," and I'm too close to tell.

Nope. It sounds like insider stuff, this-is-the-way-this-business-goes. To me, anyway.

It doesn't sound whiny or self-important to me, either.

An Anne Lamott documentary film was on PBS last night. I mean, it wasn't revelatory if you've read her columns a lot but it did show her giving a talk to some writers, etc.I'm all excited about my "shitty first drafts" now.

If that's the same one PBS has shown before, it was taped/filmed in Charlotte a few years ago. I was there. It pissed me off they didn't show the translator for the deaf--he was awesome!