But how was the Beef Wellington?

Bernie Schoenburg (registration required) delves into Michael Sneed (Sun Times) territory today with a tawdry tale involving a public altercation stemming from a messy divorce. The allegiances and public denials of those involved suggest significant political overtones. It even happened at a restaurant, Maldaner’s, Sneed’s favorite venue for spying on the famous. But while Sneed uses her “a little bird told me” style of reporting to feed readers small hints of information, Schoenberg gives this story and the players involved the full Access Hollywood treatment. That’s not to say that I didn’t read every word with interest.

What strikes me most about the column is Schoenburg’s motivation for writing it. The incident doesn’t seem newsworthy on its own. The police were called, but given the way the situation was resolved, it doesn’t even merit a mention in Police Beat. Knowing Schoenburg’s reputation, I don’t think he wrote it solely to embarrass those involved. Which makes me think that there is an underlying element to this story that I’m not privy to. I imagine that the folks on Rich Miller’s blog would have some insight on this. I do know, despite being out of the state government loop for almost a year now, that some of those named in the story also had parts in a much-circulated rumour that made its way around the capital city in recent months.

As an aside, I give Schoenburg credit for not referring to the story’s combatants as a “don’t invit’em item.”