The arts section of the New York Times, which in the past week has published eight articles about the latest Superman movie, announced yesterday that four of its staff critics — Jon Pareles, Jesse Green, Margaret Lyons, and Zachary Woolfe — would be taken off their assigned beats and moved to other, unnamed posts. An editorial memo gestures toward a perceived need for "new story forms, videos, and experimentation with other platforms." All four writers deserve praise, but the loss of Pareles and Woolfe hits close to home. Jon is not only one of America's foremost pop critics but helped to invent the discipline of writing about rock. Nat Chinen pays apt tribute to him. Zack is my cherished colleague and good friend; his abrupt removal after three brilliant years as lead critic makes no sense to me at all. Will Robin has written a discerning overview of what Zack accomplished at the paper. Lisa Hirsch writes: "It is extremely difficult to imagine who might replace Woolfe and what skills they might bring to the table that he doesn't have."