The Koch brothers have devoted their fortunes to bankrolling climate change denial, union busting, and the Tea Party. Now, they want to expand their radical right-wing propaganda to communities across the country by buying and "Fox-News-ifying" local papers, including the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. It's part of a larger bid to buy the Tribune Company's media assets, which includes TV stations and major newspapers with a history of reliable coverage.
The owners of the Tribune Company are soliciting offers on the papers now. The communities served by Tribune's properties—and all citizens who rely on a free and honest press—are key stakeholders in the decision. If enough of us make it clear that we don't want these respected and nationally influential papers—from the LA Times to the Chicago Tribune—turned into a propaganda outlet for right-wing ideologues, the Tribune Company board will have to listen.
Tribune CEO Peter Liguori has said he is committed to "best-in-class journalism" for his company—something that would be undermined if anti-democracy billionaires take ownership. Millions of people trust these outlets for strong, unbiased reporting. Newspapers are more than financial outlets. They are the very cornerstones of democracy.
In 2010, when out-of-state oil companies, including Koch Industries, bankrolled Prop 23 (the attempted repeal of California's first-in-the-nation global warming law) it took great coverage and a strong editorial by the Los Angeles Times to defeat it. Now the carbon kings want to buy the Times and other major assets in order to push their radical Tea Party agenda on the general public.
With this purchase, the Kochs would own some of the biggest papers in the country, including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, and the widely-read Spanish publication, Hoy. The purchase of Tribune would also give them ownership over television stations in major cities like New York, San Diego, Chicago, and Houston. We can't allow hallowed journalistic institutions to become mouthpieces for the Kochs' corrupt agenda.
When you sign the petition, please add a comment if you're a subscriber to the Sun-Sentinel.
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