Kane Watch: Cluck, Cluck

Looks like Gene got slapped for his little stunt with the fake interview. Only Gene could get away with a wrist slap for this kind of thing. I wonder how the victim felt upon reading the interview, only to find out later that the whole thing was a sick joke.

Wonder if Kane had to explain to the editor what he meant by, "Not everyone is as clueless as Charlie Sykes who made a fuss about the group interview being fake." After all, the editor ran a letter referencing the column as legit.

Oops. Nothing quite like calling your own boss clueless.

Anyway, here's the apology. This time it's in his column, not hidden away in the blog.

The Few Who Ruin It for Everybody: Lots of readers thought last Sunday's column was a powerful statement on the troubles with disruptive young black people in Milwaukee. But some were confused about whether the column was written from an actual interview with a group of specific young people who talked about their viewpoints.

It wasn't.

The column - you can read it at www.jsonline.com/links - was my attempt to address the issue of young blacks who find creative ways to spoil positive events in the black community, such as the beating of an innocent motorist at Juneteenth Day. Although based on my experiences talking with young people about violence in the city, the dialogue was never meant to be taken literally as an actual interview.

I was surprised that some readers misinterpreted my writing device, which was admittedly more literary than journalistic. I apologize for any confusion.