The dawn of New Year 2019 gave the Hillary-endorsing Arizona Republic little to celebrate as it became a homeless vagrant on borrowed time. Since then, the situation facing the newspaper has gone from bad to worse.
By June it was once again on the auction block. If it were a hospital patient, the term “critical” would apply. Earlier, Gannett — the Republic’s parent company — barely survived a hostile takeover by Digital First Media. The Republic has engaged in massive staff layoffs, including Pulitzer-prize winning cartoonist Steve Benson.
The latest news, buried on page 6 of the single page Nation & World section is headlined, “GateHouse buys owner of Republic, azcentral.” Slathering makeup on the corpse, it was announced that New Media will acquire Gannett. Following the close of the transaction, both New Media and its operating subsidiary GateHouse will be rebranded and operate under the “Gannett” label. The deal included GateHouse assuming approximately $600 million of Gannett debt.
Rick Edmonds, writing for Poynter, has compiled an in-depth report on the acquisition including links to memos sent to Gannett and Gatehouse employees.
Look for the next shoe to drop when the 2020 election cycle rolls around and the whichever interchangeable leftist Democrat presidential candidate, promising to give away “free” health care to all, including illegals, and “free” college tuition, wins the newspaper’s endorsement. The Republic’s 2016 Hillary endorsement resulted in a self-admitted massive loss of subscriptions. Repeating a similar move in these precarious circumstances could prove disastrous.
Today’s front page, with more white space and bolder headlines, deceitfully features, “Protests Greet the President” followed by the bogus sub-header, “Visits by Trump to Ohio, Texas stir residents who voice opposition to his rhetoric.” Here’s proof of the extent of the lie. The Last Refuge has more.
USA Today concluded its report with these predictive words:
“The stakes are high. The fate of for-profit local journalism hangs in the balance as the news industry spars with digital giants Google, Facebook and others for revenue and the attention of Americans.”
SRAZ suggests insulting the newspaper’s remaining readers is not a model for success. This is a practice routinely engaged in by the grievously ill Arizona Republic, which is why it is in need of resuscitation. The conglomerate appears to have amnesia, forgetting that Arizonans — and the nation — overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump.
We will again.
Seeing Red AZ 
As a newspaper in the driveway creature of habit, I finally called and cancelled after seeing the hate mongering Southern Poverty Law Center described in a front page headline as a “Rights Group.” That was a bridge too far.
If this is an indicator of what the sale will bring, it’s a good bet more readers will decide they’ve had enough.
Gatehouse will realize soon enough the AZ Repukelick is a burden not worth the price. I predict it will be dumped within short order. The ASU students writing the bulk of the news are dreadful and have no seasoned guidance. Editors, if they exist at all, are scarce. This newsauer is not going to be worth the purchaser’s time, attention or money.
The good thing is that Phil Boas, the editorial page editor who runs the anti-Trump train, will fall off the caboose.
They always have the Snowbirds’ business. Coupons, you know.
SRAZ and Folks,
can we re-hash the Red Flag post from Wednesday?
There are more than a dozen States with existing Red Flag laws.
In Maryland, it only took the State legislature One Month, in 2018, to write and the Governor to sign a Red Flag law after a (later verified) mentally ill person killed co-workers at a small factory in Aberdeen, Maryland.
Within One Month of the law being on the books, dozens of calls were received by many police departments throughout the State, with Anne Arundel County and Harford County having double digit call-ins. Harford County is rural with a lot of farms that have been handed down over generations.
And then, this happened: A “distant relative” had “words” with a 61 year old man who lived alone in a house on a nice parcel of land with a fence around it. The house is in a wooded area. He owned a handgun, legally (which is not that easy in Maryland).
The DAY AFTER the distant relative filed a complaint with the Anne Arundel County Police Department—-24 hours—–the police showed up at 5 AM. It was dark outside (November, 2018)
Read this:
https://www.ammoland.com/2018/11/maryland-red-flag-gun-confiscation-order-ends-with-dead-gun-owner/#ixzz5w1CZfCnc
Family members told Capital Gazette reporters that a distant relative had requested the ERPO the day before, due to an “incident” that occurred at his residence. The details of the “incident” remain unclear at this writing, but the backpedaling by the police chief began almost immediately.
Said Anne Arundel County police chief Timothy Altomare:
If you look at this morning’s outcome, it’s tough for us to say, “Well, what did we prevent?” Because we don’t know what we prevented or could’ve prevented.
What would have happened if we didn’t go there at 5 am?
Probably nothing.
Because during his many years as a resident at his home in Ferndale nothing untoward happened. His niece, Michele Willis, said “I’m just dumbfounded right now. My uncle wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
Obviously Red Flag laws present a problem. Liberals who think ever encroaching Second Amendment restrictions with the ultimate goal of disarmament will make us safe are trading liberty for an undeliverable promise of security. It will never turn out well
Carnage can be implemented by mowing people down with a truck as we saw on Bastille Day in Paris. It can be committed by knife attacks as we saw in London. The killers at the Boston marathon used homemade pressure cooker bombs. The world is not a safe place, but the left has made guns the sole culprit., failing to grasp that they can also provide security.
Will they call for the elimination of cars, knives and kitchen appliances next?
In the past 24 hours: Man(unidentified) in California went on a rampage with a knife. 4 killed, many wounded. His rampage went from an apartment complex to several businesses, over several miles.
Also. now in PA: A “suspect” with a knife killed one and injured others at a bus stop. Undercover police officer saw it happen. “suspect” was arrested.
Across the pond, stabbings have become an everyday occurrence in London.
A video surfaced last week of a refugee in Germany who hacked a man to death with a machete while the man was sitting in his car (convertible top). Lots of people witnessed it, though it appears that no one made any attempt to stop it.
“Nowhere Man” Robert Francis O’Roaring Obscenities, the darling of the radical leftwing media had this to say about our president:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/08/05/beto_orourke_trump_is_inciting_violence_and_racism_members_of_the_press_what_the_fck.html
Disappointing that the Goldwater Institute is using this issue to fund raise. The email I received today is not in support of President Trump, but against the hate filled rhetoric of Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro and his desire to weaponize campaign finance disclosures.
Castro has reprehensively publicized a list of 44 San Antonio donors and their employers to President Trump’s re-election campaign…aiming to target them for harassment and intimidation. But I have no recollection of the Goldwater Institute coming to the defense of President Trump, who the vast majority of their supporters voted for. How about a kind word for him??
.https://indefenseofliberty.blog/2019/08/06/castro-weaponizes-campaign-finance-disclosure-against-ordinary-texans/
Don’t think for a minute that the Red Flag laws will stop at gun control. How long do you think it will be before the schools will be sending “Troubled” children to a state psychiatric doctor to bring them around to political correctness. One you are listed as red flagger you will be on the list forever. This will become a reason to put you on a watch list for whatever is the problem of the day.
Red flag = communism