Former Bismarck Tribune Editor Gets $40/Hour Job As “Public Affairs Consultant” For University System

John Irby, the former Bismarck Tribune editor who retired from his job after blaming bloggers and the internet for ruining journalism, has found a new post.

As of January 6th of this year, Irby is a “public affairs consultant” for the North Dakota University System.

I emailed Irby about his new position, and he told me that it is only part-time. He is earning $40 per hour and working roughly 15 hours per week. He will not be participating in the states health care system or the retirement system.

The former employee in that position, one Debra Anderson, left last year and I’m told by other media sources that Irby is the “stop gap” until the university system picks a new Chancellor who, in turn, can fill this position himself/herself.

That hourly pay would be a roughly $83,200 salary for a full-time employee. It’s a lot of money, it seems, for a position that entails little more than handling press releases and media inquiries. But given the amount of time and effort the university system puts into avoiding disclosure and public accountability, I guess they need an experienced hand in the position.

Irby’s hire does speak to a cozy relationship between higher education and the state’s media. I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist, but there is little scrutiny on higher education issues from the state’s media, and a revolving door between the state’s press corps and the university system doesn’t exactly put concerns over that lack of coverage at ease.