5.25.2011

Mark Haines Passes

Mark Haines was one of the few on CNBC that mattered. He passed away today.

Denninger posted a very appropriate eulogy:
Those of you who have followed me are well-aware of my general disdain for CNBC, in that I often call it "CNBS", and I'm sure you can figure out the expansion of the last two letters.

Nonetheless there are a couple of people on that channel who have made a difference in terms of truth-telling. Rick Santelli is one.

Mark Haines was the other.

Mark was known for refusing to cotton to commonly-run but ridiculously false assertions and looking askance at the various chainsaw-dealers who would come on the air and try to toss their wares at the investing audience - running with the throttle locked on, of course. His ascerbic and wry refusal to take crap often ended with the worst offenders among interviewees stomping off the set - a welcome change from the usual pablum-sucking nonsense that infests "business news."

Mark brought badly-needed balance to a channel that has justly earned the scorn of anyone who takes a realistic and analytical view of the markets and economy. He also had an unbridled streak of Patriotism in him that was subtle and yet pervasive - his wearing of an American flag tie on Fridays post 9/11 was one of those "little things" that many people missed, but only because they've become so dulled to the finer details of life by our media that they couldn't reason their way out of a paper bag.

Business news is poorer today by a substantial margin with Mark's passing, and while I knew him only through his public persona, I suspect he lived the rest of his life with the same sort of wry view for those who dissemble that he displayed on-air, and as such I'm sure he will be sorely missed by those of personal acquaintance along with, of course, his family.

May you rest in peace Mr. Haines.

I completely agree. I'm going to miss Mark.

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