There are few things media writers enjoy more than a villain. Particularly when it’s an expensive outsider conscripted to overhaul a storied newsroom or publication. The protagonists in these situations sometimes stumble early — maybe it’s a stray comment or an ill-advised strategy doc — and as the leaks and tipoffs flow to beat reporters, the narrative of a workplace in turmoil builds, and soon enough some early missteps become the hapless leader’s defining narrative.