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Interesting story in today’s New York Times about our own papers, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News.
This story, as many have, zeros in on the problem of a guy who tried to manipulate the news actually taking over a newspaper. The New York Times cites incidents where Brian Tierney, who will oversee both papers, tried to have stories killed when they would negatively showcase clients of Tierney Communications.
We’re all for saving the Inquirer and Daily News and think that Tierney could help with their marketing and advertising woes. And Philly can’t be a vibrant city without a vibrant newspaper, which, quite frankly, it’s been lacking, as the Inky has devolved into a community newspaper and the Daily News is, well, the Daily News. But to say that the owners taking a “pledge” is going to keep their hands off the editorial content of the newspaper? Please. What happens when the Inky wants to do a story that rakes Toll Brothers over the coals for tossing McMansions all over the suburban landscape? Or if the Daily News wants to do a front page cover with Commerce goliath Vernon Hill?
These new owners are not newspaper guys. The only way to know how the news operates is to jump into the trenches, which they will need to do in order to understand the way news works. We like the suggestion of hiring an ombudsman to keep track of any possible infractions. The papers should have one anyway.
Stay tuned. Should be an interesting summer in Philadelphia news.
Image via The New York Times
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I think you get the worries about the new ownership exactly wrong.