The Toll of an Intemperate E-Mail

Page doesn't rule out that Asperger's had a role in this. "I think it is a complicated, sensitive and probably unanswerable question," he said. "But I'd hate to have my personal temper tantrum reflect badly on the Asperger's community, for there are a lot of us out there living productive lives."

One Asperger's Web site says that many with the condition "exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area." Page, who has been at The Post since 1995, has won a Pulitzer Prize in criticism and written 15 books. In 2006, he was chosen as one of the country's 25 most influential people in opera by the magazine Opera News. In a previously approved leave of absence, Page will be a visiting professor in journalism and music at the University of Southern California, beginning in January.

Page's e-mail worried some Metro staffers, who felt that it was harmful to The Post's ability to cover city hall and the 8th Ward.

David Nakamura, The Post's city hall reporter, said, "At a time when circulation is declining, we have been told as journalists that now, more than ever, we must connect with communities that The Post has historically been accused of neglecting. This is not an easy feat to begin with, but it is made all the more difficult when our colleagues make rude, hostile remarks to elected officials who live in those communities. Such statements can live on long after they are said and wear down the trust we are trying to build with already skeptical residents."

Post journalists can get angry. They can have thoughts as bad as any other human being. But they can't say them in public or put them in writing and send them out into the world. That damages The Post's credibility.

Deborah Howell can be reached at 202-334-7582 or at ombudsman@washpost.com.