For his perseverance in the face of post-layoff adversity post-layoff, the freelance unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild has made Rick Redfern an honorary member. Rick was unavailable for comment, but his creator, Garry Trudeau, asked to pass along Rick’s “appreciation for this gesture of support.” A Guild Freelancers press pass is on its way. A longtime Washington Post investigative reporter, Rick, a central character in Trudeau’s “Doonesbury“ strip, was swept out the door in 2008, a victim of the mass layoffs that emptied newsrooms nationwide. Since April, he has been blogging gratis for the Huffington Post, knowing too well a writer can die of exposure.