Oligarch To Buy The Evening Standard



(image via theguardian)

What did Journalism do to piss off The Gods? Yes, journos were arrogant about their/our role in society ("Fourth Estate"?) and, Yes, journos consistently denied, smarmily, that there was a slightly leftish lean in the mainstream media (c'mon, assholes -- there isn't?). But this is just sad. While we are all for a spanking of traditional Eastern Establishment media and the shmooze game that it takes to get ahead (the shmooze game this blogger will never play), this is just too much and we almost feel sorry for them. From The Guardian:

"The billionaire and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev is to buy London's Evening Standard tomorrow, in a dramatic move that would see him become the first Russian oligarch to own a major British newspaper, MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal.

"Lebedev is poised to buy a controlling stake in the ailing title, following a year of secret negotiations with Lord Rothermere, its owner and the chairman of the Daily Mail & General Trust.

"Under the terms of the deal Lebedev will purchase 76% of the newspaper, with the Associated Newspapers group retaining 24%. His son Evgeny, who lives in London, is due to sign the deal with Daily Mail & General Trust tomorrow. The agreement will make Lebedev the paper's controversial new proprietor."

An oligarch controlling a major newspaper in a major global capital? That's sort of like the noble having to become a prostitute and service his/her former servants to make rent.