# Do newspaper publishers have privacy rights or are they public figures? (Koch Bros: SDMB purchase?) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 21, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-newspaper-publishers-have-privacy-rights-or-are-they-public-figures-koch-bros-sdmb-purchase/656345 "2013-04-21T23:18:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-newspaper-publishers-have-privacy-rights-or-are-they-public-figures-koch-bros-sdmb-purchase/656345/1 "2013-04-21T23:18:22Z")
I see from [the grey lady](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/business/media/koch-brothers-making-play-for-tribunes-newspapers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) that the Koch Brothers are considering a purchase of the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel, The Hartford Courant and three more regional newspapers. Whether the Chicago Reader is included in that mix is unclear: I’m guessing the deal cutters might spend 6 minutes on the subject. The Tribune Company would stay put: it would simply become a chain of local TV stations. So would it be better if the SDMB was controlled by the Koch Brothers (who have very deep pockets and are committed conservative funders) or as part of a chain of TV stations? And should TP(Ha!)TB make their opinions known to management? Also: are newspaper publishers considered public figures? I understand that the Koch Brothers value their privacy, which I’m guessing they will have to sacrifice if they decide to takeover a good chunk of the nation’s opinion leaders and fire their reporters. Not that there’s any direct evidence that they would do that: I’m just posing a hypothetical. Legal question. Mods: Move this thread where you want. Frankly I think it belongs in all forums (via rotation) including the Game Room. Edit: Aw, crap: The Reader is owned by the Chicago-Sun Times’ group, not the Chicago Tribune. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-newspaper-publishers-have-privacy-rights-or-are-they-public-figures-koch-bros-sdmb-purchase/656345/2 "2013-04-21T23:24:24Z")
ETA2: I don’t know what to do when my premise is shot out of the water. At least I was able to edit the thread title (originally said SDMB purchase). Call this a test thread. (Reported.) ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-newspaper-publishers-have-privacy-rights-or-are-they-public-figures-koch-bros-sdmb-purchase/656345/3 "2013-04-21T23:30:45Z")
Here we go. Mods: Why did my title edit affect the title on the top of the OP, but not the title in the list of threads? I know, I know vBulletin stinks. But that’s what I was testing! Yeah, there’s the ticket. :dubious: :smack::smack::smack::smack::smack::smack: ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-newspaper-publishers-have-privacy-rights-or-are-they-public-figures-koch-bros-sdmb-purchase/656345/4 "2013-04-21T23:37:26Z")
Because edit thread title is a separate item that is not turned on. For reasons that should be pretty obvious. 🙂 No, not because of you, of course. But someone. (There’s always someone.) ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-newspaper-publishers-have-privacy-rights-or-are-they-public-figures-koch-bros-sdmb-purchase/656345/5 "2013-04-22T00:47:14Z")
It would be such delicious irony for this board to be bought out by conservatives. Maybe one day. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-newspaper-publishers-have-privacy-rights-or-are-they-public-figures-koch-bros-sdmb-purchase/656345/6 "2013-04-22T00:58:37Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > It would be such delicious irony for this board to be bought out by conservatives. Maybe one day. What do you imagine might happen if that were to come to pass? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-newspaper-publishers-have-privacy-rights-or-are-they-public-figures-koch-bros-sdmb-purchase/656345/7 "2013-04-22T01:08:02Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > It would be such delicious irony for this board to be bought out by conservatives. Maybe one day. Well, we have already seen the Scientologists take over counselling centers, so there is precedent.