Earlier in the week, young tycoon Jared Kushner, son of disgraced New Jersey real estate developer Charles Kushner, won the auction for the New York Observer. It seems Slate's media critic Jack Shafer is begging for a position at The Observer. He's dedicated his latest column to providing the nascent media mogul some advice on how to run the paper. While media critic turned blogger Jim Romenesko highlights Shafer's suggestion that Kushner study "Citizen Kane," I rather think Shafer's best is his comparison of young Kushner to New York's other vanity publishers, who all have "Rosebuds" that drive their ambitions. Shafer wonders what Kushner's is, and offers a few suggestions. At any rate, Shafer also provides a lot of business advice too — some of it even reads like a report from Bain & Co. Either way, the column could be construed as a cover letter. After all, Shafer suggests — with a wink and a nod — that Kushner open his wallet to hire more staff at better salaries. If you read between the lines, Shafer is saying "I'd love to work for you, but you don't pay enough to woo me away from Slate." Of course, should Kushner follow Shafer's advice, don't be surprised if in a few months we see Shafer heading up the Observer. —Matthew Wurtzel
See story from Slate
See related Kushner interview from Metro
Continue reading below
