As with his recent predecessors in this role, Rush Limbaugh and Dennis Miller, Tony's reviews were not good. One of the more emphatic of the critics was the Washington Post's Paul Farhi, who could find in Kornheiser's performance no good reason for him to be there at all. "He wasn't especially witty, provocative or insightful," Farhi complained, citing examples of Tony K's chatter that ranged from pointless to banal. Suffering the brickbats of critics is part of the burden every performer has to bear, and most have the sense not to take them personally or all that seriously. Not Kornheiser. He condemned his critics and had special words of contempt for Farhi, whom he called a "putz" and "a two-bit weasel slug." This was unprofessional and juvenile, but it didn't qualify him as an Ethics Dunce. This did: Kornheiser expressed disappointment and a sense of betrayal that "his own newspaper" wasn't "kinder," describing Farhi's review as being "back-stabbed."

In other words, Kornheiser feels that because he and his critic worked for the same newspaper, he was entitled to kid gloves treatment. Never mind that journalism is supposed to require fair and independent analysis that avoids bias; Kornheiser believes that his association with the Post earned him the benefit of a positive bias, leading to a good review. Integrity be damned; a Post reporter's duty was to protect his own, and for Farhi not to do so made him a "weasel slug."

This is so basic that it should not have to be said, but it must be put forth for Tony Kornheiser's edification. The Post and Paul Farhi owe no duty to Kornheiser at all, other than to be fair and accurate in reporting on his effectiveness on "Monday Night Football." Their primary duty is to their readers, and that means that Post alum or not, Tony Kornheiser should receive no more mercy or kindness when he is being reviewed than anyone else.

After he does some over-due review of basic journalistic ethics and, if Farhi was correct, the finer points of professional football, Kornheiser can work his other deficiency: the inability to accept criticism with maturity and grace.