The fat lady is still singing in the comments section of The Age‘s former opera critic’s apologia on why he quit, with the Melbourne arts and journalism community getting into the fray.

Michael Shmith wrote a piece for the Australian Book Review earlier this week criticising the paper’s arts coverage in an explanation of his resignation. In his article, Shmith says he wanted to review a Melbourne Lyric Opera production, which arts editor Hannah Francis said there was no room for. He then submitted a 300-word review anyway, which wasn’t published. Shmith said he was told productions from bigger companies were more likely to get a run. So he quit.

“I left because of the sad but inevitable realisation that The Age’s arts page no longer truly represented or upheld the critical standards that were once imperative to its existence and whose values remain of vital concern to me. And when I say ‘me’, I mean, by default, the artform I had the privilege to review.”

And, in a rare time you should read the comments, the responses to the story are fabulously bitchy — and mostly putting Shmith in his place and defending Francis after Fairfax’s arts coverage was slashed as part of budget cuts earlier this year. Commenters include The Conversation editor (and former Crikey editor and Age journo) Misha Ketchell, opera libretto writer and arts critic Alison Croggon and arts writer Anne-Marie Peard.

Ketchell wrote:

“Sadly Micheal isn’t only guilty of petulance and bitchiness: he’s also demonstrated a sadly out of touch attitude to the changing media world. It might be fair enough to say that failing to publish opera reviews is a form of cultural asphyxiation, but is publishing them online in the same category? Surely one solution to this problem of finite space would be for The Age to use its website to host a section dedicated to more comprehensive coverage of opera. Who knows, build it and an audience might follow.”

Arts journalist Anne-Marie Peard wrote:

“I’m another Age arts journo who Hannah Francis has said ‘no’ to. She says no because the arts budget at The Age was squished beyond recognition, because there isn’t room to publish and there isn’t any money to pay freelancers. All of which are out of her control. She was at the public face of the #FairGoFairfax campaigns and fought for all the freelance critics and for all the lesser-known, small and independent companies and artists that are now missing out on coverage in The Age. 

“It isn’t just opera. It sure isn’t just one journo. 

“This piece doesn’t reflect the state of arts editing at The Age. Hissy fits are one thing (and no editor should respond to a hissy) but to publish without any fact checking or consulting with Hannah before publication is poor journalism. This is click bait. And it’s worked because it’s getting read and discussed. 

“As for appropriating ‘no means no’ to criticise a woman. It’s either ignorance or a deliberate reference to how a woman shouldn’t say no to him.”

Children’s author Pamela Freeman said:

“Obviously it’s been tough on you to give up the reins in the arts editorship but, sir, your day is over and you are now no more important than any other arts journalist. In other words, get over yourself.”

And Croggon wrote:

“Michael Shmith’s personal attack on Hannah Francis is appalling: it’s petty, vindictive and ill-informed … Yes, there is a crisis in our arts commentary. But giving space to this kind of vengeful and petty point scoring helps no one and illuminates nothing, aside from one man’s bizarrely solipsistic sense of entitlement. Everyone who writes about the arts, not only Shmith, is facing the same structural problems.”

ABR was also criticised for running the piece, and for not giving Francis a right of reply (which they said they did. through a letter to the editor or to reply to the article, and she declined).

Not all the comments were critical of Shmith. Kaz praised his writing:

“Any organ that rejects the chance to avail itself of his brain and experience, and adorn itself with the writing of Michael Shmith, is poorer for it.”

Fairfax, which owns The Age, cut its arts coverage in its cuts earlier this year. The budgets for freelancers and contributors were also cut.