The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News purchased for $562 million in 2006 was announced sold yesterday, April 2, to the Democrat boss of New Jersey for $55 million.
So, in another six years will the sale price be $5.3 million?
Frankly, one doubts it. One expects it to be killed shortly after Nov. 6 as the only the rationale for that outlay of money is as a sneaky campaign contribution to Barack Obama and the local Democrat parties.
And one doubts that even the Philadelphia and New Jersey unions have that much dough to throw down that rat hole for much time beyond the election.
The new owners, headed by George Norcross — who has been described as the most powerful Democrat in New Jersey — are solely trying to influence the senior citizens who still get the paper to do the crossword puzzle and the sudoku.
They are not going to try to expand its readership by even pretending to be fair. Today’s web headlines, for instance, include “89,000 poor Pa. kids slashed from Medicaid” and “Secret reports on priests’ perversions”.
The only thing more blatant would be to hire the now out-of-work Keith Olbermann.
In the words of Dr. McCoy, “he’s dead, Jim.”
And Norcross is going to find that he has wasted his money even if his intent is to use the broadsheet as a suicide fire ship. Parody makes for bad propaganda.
The paper was purchased for $130 million in 2010 by a hedge fund which scavenged what it could and has now dumped the hulk.
“The only thing more blatant would be to hire the now out-of-work Keith Olbermann.”
Ah for the good old days when Inquirer ace reporter Harry Karafin’s stories were often leading the paper. Do you remember Karafin? He was the Inquirer standout who was convicted of blackmailing his subjects. “Pay up or else!”
Asst District attorney Richard sprague prosecuted him. He was convicted and sent to prison where he died.
The Inquirer has not changed all that much. It is still as dishonest as ever.