Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Wait. . . Doesn't the "Kochtopus" already pretty much control The Arizona Republic?
The "Kochtopus"-funded Arizona chapter of Americans For Prosperity (Tom Jenney) and the Goldwater Institute (a stable of authors) regularly get their GOPropaganda op-eds published in the Republic, and they are on reporters' speed-dial for a ready quote in their reporting. Then there are the GOP legislators who are members of the "Kochtopus"-funded ALEC who push ALEC model bills and write op-eds without any disclosure or disclaimer. And there is always Robert Robb, who serves on executive committees and boards of the Goldwater Institute. That's pretty much the same thing, isn't it?
I guess it is not good enough for the billionaire bastard Koch brothers. They are exploring buying their own media empire.
Alex Seitz-Wald at Salon reports Koch brothers consider purchasing L.A. Times:
According to “multiple sources” who spoke with L.A. Weekly, the conservative billionaire Koch brothers are considering buying the Tribune Co., which owns the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Trubine and the Baltimore Sun, among other publications:
Now, these are unverified rumors that should be taken with a grain of salt if not a whole dollop. The Tribune Co. won’t comment on any specific offers they’ve received, although a source there says, “We’ve gotten a ton of interest. That was one of the reasons for hiring the outside financial advisors, to sift through the unsolicited interest.” [...]
Another rumor, passed along by a member of the L.A. Times Editorial Board, no less, has the Koch Brothers helping to finance a bid by “Papa Doug” Manchester, himself a right-wing multimillionaire who in 2009 bought the San Diego Union Tribune and promptly turned it into a propaganda organ for San Diego development.
Like many newspaper companies, Tribune Co. has faced hard times in recent years, complicated by the difficult reign of Sam Zell, who took the company into bankruptcy.
Purchasing publications is a tried and true avenue for wealthy patrons with an interest in influencing politics, so it makes sense that the Kochs would be looking at taking over a major publication.
* * *
And with a price tag of over $600 million and the likelihood of running operating losses, someone with money to burn — Charles and David Koch are each worth over $30 billion — would be needed to purchase the Tribune Co.
The fear, of course, is that the brothers would turn the renowned papers into organs for their conservative agenda. But if the papers lost their credibility — and media critics and liberal partisans would surely be on high alert to spot any perceived biases under Koch management — they would also lose their value and thus be a pretty poor investment for the brothers.
Seriously, Alex? That's an incredibly naive statement. The Wall Street Journal and Faux News Fraudcasting, among other media companies owned by Rupert Murdoch, spew his far-right GOPropaganda and yet the media villagers still treat his media companies as credible news organizations. I don't think there is going to be any more self-policing among the feckless media villagers for journalisitc standards if the "Kocktopus" buys the Tribune Co.
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