Who says newspaper editorials don't matter any more? Obviously not Illinois Governor
Rod Blagojevich. Among (many) other things, he's accused of editorial-page extortion against the Tribune Co. -- which was trying to sell its Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs) to the state of Illinois.
According to the 78-page criminal complaint filed today, the governor asked his chief of staff to tell Tribune executives that the state would not finance a deal unless his critics on the Chicago Tribune editorial board were fired. His chief of staff John Harris reported back that Tribune CEO Sam Zell "got the message and is very sensitive to the issue. ...Reading between the lines, he's going after that section." (More coverage of this angle.)
Tribune editor Gerould Kern posted a short statement about the paper's role in the investigation. But surprisingly, Kern's statement says nothing about Zell's response (or the paper's) to the hint that members of the editorial board could or should be fired to get a state deal completed.
As of this writing, I have not seen anything else from on the Tribune news site about their role in this part of the story. However, this press release containing some additional assertions about the paper's role was posted on the corporate site. It says, in part: "No one working for the company or on its behalf has ever attempted to influence staffing decisions at the Chicago Tribune or any aspect of the newspaper’s editorial coverage as a result of conversations with officials in the governor’s administration."
Now we just can't wait for a column by one of the Tribune editorial writers who was on Blagojevich's hit list, saying, essentially, "I've never felt so important in all my life."
By the way, the Trib's coverage of the arrest is formidable -- including several video clips (mostly unedited) of today's events. In one terrific clip, apparently from earlier this week, Blagojevich says "Go right ahead" and tape me.
Stories from the Tribune, CLTV, and WGN are cross-posted to the Chicago Breaking News blog. Today, Poynter's Ellyn Angellotti explores how this story is unfolding on Twitter and news sites.
Finally, the paper's publishing a (print!) "extra" edition today that it will distribute at train stations and downtown newsstands.
You have to get out more often. This is ILLINOIS...
