The Art of Being Funny. Doug Speirs’ humour column, In the Doug House, appeared in the pages of the Winnipeg Free Press three times a week starting in 2006. Doug held almost every job at the newspaper – reporter, city editor, night editor, tour guide, hand model – his colleagues were confident they’d eventually find something he was good at. He was known for columns on quirky news events, insights on raising teenagers, helpful insights on the key differences between men and women and his penchant for spending up to three hours floating in the bathtub.