How Adelson ownership could impact Las Vegas Review-Journal
News on 21 Dec 2015
News on 21 Dec 2015
Now that land casino mogul and multi-billionaire Sheldon Adelson has been exposed as the man, or at least the family, behind the purchase of the Las Vegas Review-Journal , the editor has used the publication’s editorial column to consider how things might change under this new ownership.
The article notes that newspaper owners are not supposed to interfere with news content, but that it is acceptable for them to “steer the philosophy of their editorial board” before going on to detail areas that this might affect. These include:
Politics and the presidential elections; internet gambling; drugs; the proposed Las Vegas Convention Center expansion; Israel; U.S. defence spending; social issues and health care, indicating for each whether the newspaper’s current admittedly conservative policies gel with Adelson’s, or whether there is likely to be a change should the new owner wish to impose it.
Our readers will be most interested in the comment on internet gambling, where Adelson is known to be a vehement opponent, so here is the editorial perspective:
“Internet gaming: Mr. Adelson strongly opposes all forms of Internet gaming, including web-based poker, and has put his wealth behind campaigns to abolish it. He supports federal legislation that wipes out the 2011 interpretation of the Wire Act that still stands today, which allows intrastate Internet wagering. Mr. Adelson’s position counters the Review-Journal’s. The newspaper supports the Nevada law that allows Internet poker within the state’s borders, and the Review-Journal has called for federal legislation that creates a regulated interstate Internet poker industry.
“Potential change in position: Complete reversal.”
The op-ed is an interesting read as an indicator of the Adelson position on a range of issues and can be accessed here:
The editorial acknowledges that the Adelson family has revealed little about its plans for the LVRJ, but notes that Adelson has commented to Reuters that the publication is generally on his side of the political spectrum, and has hinted that he may take some characteristics from the family’s right-wing Israeli newspaper and add them….but the editor concludes:
“Whether any of this newspaper’s editorial page positions change will go a long way toward further explaining why Mr. Adelson purchased the Review-Journal.”
The weekend also saw the LRVJ publish a scathing condemnation of Adelson’s purchase by regular political columnist John L. Smith, a respected journalist who has felt at first hand the litigious fury of Adelson over critical comments he wrote.
Smith does not mince his words, declaring that Adelson has every right to buy the LVRJ, but warning:
“Adelson is precisely the wrong person to own this or any newspaper. His disdain for the working press and its prickly processes is palpable – and easily illustrated by his well-known litigiousness.”
Smith relates how he was sued by Adelson for comment in his book “Sharks in the Desert – the Founding Fathers and Current Kings of Las Vegas” back in 2005. Smith prevailed with costs at the end of the “excruciating civil process” but it temporarily bankrupted him.
That case serves as a lead in to Smith’s further exemplification of Adelson’s penchant for litigation, a current case against Macau gaming reporter Kate O’Keeffe of The Wall Street Journal. She’s being sued personally in a Hong Kong court for describing Adelson a “scrappy, foul-mouthed billionaire from working-class Dorchester” in an article.
He details other examples, suggesting that knowledge of his involvement in a newspaper may encourage readers to filter every story through the prism that he is behind the scenes, making reporting more challenging. And he notes that reporters will have to fight every day against the perception that that their newspaper reflects Adelson views.
Smith recommends that if Adelson wants to send a signal that he now has a more enlightened view of press freedom, then he could do so by “dismissing the specious O’Keeffe lawsuit.”
“Where’s the firewall between ownership and the newsroom?” Smith asks. “Given Adelson’s reputation as a micromanager, it had better be made of asbestos. The purchase of the Review-Journal signals a tectonic shift in the political landscape of Las Vegas and Nevada and has the potential to reverberate all the way to the White House.”
Smith concludes by observing that the Adelson family deserves an opportunity to make good on its intentions, but cautions:
“Adelson can’t purchase the credibility of an independent press. That has to be earned every day on the street by reporters, columnists and editors who must be able to throw elbows without fear or favor — even at the new boss.”
More reaction from Time here:
http://time.com/4154194/sheldon-adelson-review-journal/?xid=tcoshare
