Take a moment to note the passing of the New York Sun, shuttered yesterday after a brave, against-all-odds run of 6 ½ years.
When the paper began publishing, on April 16, 2002, conventional wisdom held that it would be but a flash in the pan.
It was much more than that, even if it did eventually fall victim to a bad economy and tough times for newspapers generally.
The Sun never gained a real foothold, despite an aggressive effort. It appealed to a niche circulation, and its stylistic eccentricities often baffled readers.
But though it failed to gain a wide readership, the Sun made an impact.
Even its critics conceded that the paper was a quality product: It regularly broke major stories, and its coverage of culture and the arts was unrivaled.
But the Sun’s most important contribution resided in its opinion pages.
Like its namesake newspaper, which folded in 1950, the Sun was a paper of the intellectual right.
Its editorials were unapologetic in their defense of an assertive America, a strong Israel and a vibrant free market – waging unrelenting war on political correctness and liberal orthodoxy.
In this respect, these pages and the Sun were kindred souls.
Our shared worldview was such that, in irredeemably liberal New York City, we were often in distressingly lonely straits.
But, always, it was good company.
We’ll work our hardest to carry on.