The Dallas Morning News Has Rats

Stephen Young December 19, 2017 4:00AM

Those editorials aren't going to write themselves. Valerieka/Shutterstock

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The Dallas Morning News, Dallas' daily, built on the rock of truth and buttressed by piles of Belo cash, has a problem — a festering, creeping affliction eating at the institution's very core — since the paper moved from its longtime home on Young Street to its new digs in the old Dallas Public Library.

The Dallas Morning News, next door to the newly revived Statler Hotel building downtown, has rats. So many rats, in fact, that employees have started three Twitter accounts — @stat_rat, @boo_ratley and @StatRatcliff — to chronicle the rodents' adventures ransacking the paper's headquarters.

@Boo_RatIey Tonight we shall feast! #statratpack pic.twitter.com/BfF1iXOuj3
— Daniel Ratcliffe (@StatRatcliffe) December 15, 2017

As you can see from the pizza and this tweet below from City Editor Rudy Bush, the rats aren't having any problems finding sustenance left behind by the Morning News' digital ink-stained wretches.

Good news @stat_rat. Investigative reporter @stevesthompson has rolled out the buffet. pic.twitter.com/Sdo4uCZ41f
— Rudolph Bush (@DallasPolitics) December 8, 2017

The Morning News sent exterminators in after the poor bastards, but the rats just laughed and continued eating the company-provided snacks.

pic.twitter.com/qUUJclbLxY
— Stat (@stat_rat) December 12, 2017

pic.twitter.com/4cV7DXKHpQ
— Stat (@stat_rat) December 15, 2017

The rats, it seems, enjoy themselves on the weekends, when there's less foot traffic to chase them away. Going back after Christmas should be fun for the DMN staff.

Looking forward to an empty office this weekend. I'm sure there will be lots of good snacks around. #ratsnacks #statrat
— Boo Ratley (@Boo_RatIey) December 15, 2017

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