It was unbelievable to me that the New York Post would let legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith go after all her years as Ms. New York City. Anyone who worked the gossip/social beat anywhere looked up to Liz, a whiskey-voiced, Texan who prowled the streets of Broadway and the bars and nightspots and brought forward a daily, must-read column. The venerable Liz is 86-years-old, but still has years to go and will be moving on to the Internet. During the years I wrote the daily Personalities Column for the Washington Post, I frequently was in contact with Liz. She was always helpful with guidance and smart advice. I was often thrilled when she would pick up an item from my column and give me and the newspaper credit by name. That doesn’t often happen in the gossip business. As to the title “gossip columnist,” I don’t think that either Liz or I liked the connotation. I knew when I read Liz that there was good factual reporting behind what she wrote and there was indeed behind my items. I look forward to keeping up with Liz, and the New York Post has made a dumb decision n and will be sorry she no longer brings class to its pages.
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