The purchase of The Baltimore Sun is further proof that conservative billionaires understand the power of media control. Why don’t their liberal counterparts get it?
You have no doubt seen the incredibly depressing news about the incredibly depressing purchase of The Baltimore Sun by the incredibly depressing David Smith, chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, the right-wing media empire best known for gobbling up local television news operations and forcing local anchors to spout toxic Big Brother gibberish like this.
The Sun was once a great newspaper. I remember reading, once upon a time, that it had sprung more foreign correspondents into action across the planet than any American newspaper save The New York Times and The Washington Post. It had eight foreign bureaus at one point, all of which were shuttered by the Tribune Company by 2006. But the Sun’s real triumphs came in covering its gritty, organic city. And even well after its glory days, it still won Pulitzers—as recently as 2020, for taking down corrupt Mayor Catherine Pugh, who served a stretch in prison thanks to the paper.
Because they don’t exist. I do not believe it is possible to be truly progressive, have left leaning morals, and be a billionaire. The only way to aquire enough money to control the media narrative of a country the size of America is to be a massive piece of shit. Even the “good” billionaires got there by stepping on as many fingers as possible while they climbed the ladder. Our system inherently rewards people with bad morals, and then enables them to control the conversation for everyone else. Which they obviously use to further their shitty ideas