Adelson’s purchase of newspaper mired in controversy

Sheldon Adelson

Reporters at The Las Vegas Review-Journal revealed Macau casino-owner and billionaire Sheldon Adelson as the buyer of their newspaper. Adelson’s son-in-law had anonymously arranged the purchase of the broadsheet earlier this month.
According to the New York Times, Adelson’s family secretly bought the newspaper for USD140 million through a shell company headed by executive Michael E. Schroeder, who had initially refused to reveal the new owners.
The revelation has prompted inquiries into the reasons behind Adelson’s purchase. The paper is based in Nevada, home to Adelson’s own Las Vegas Sands Corporation.
Concerns were heightened when three reporters were instructed to investigate three Nevada judges during the negotiations for the purchase of the Review-Journal. One of the judges is currently overseeing a lawsuit against Adelson by a former executive of Sands Macau’s operations.
In a statement published on the newspaper’s website on December 22, the new owners pledged to operate in a “fair, unbiased and accurate” manner, adding that the owners regard themselves “as stewards of this essential community institution” and that the paper will continue to serve the people of Las Vegas.
But the comments did little to alleviate anxieties at the newspaper, leading to the resignation of the Review-Journal’s editor last week.
Additionally, the New York Times says that it has received information from reporters at the Las Vegas Review-Journal indicating that their articles are being closely monitored and edited – allegedly to censor crucial information.
“The purchase of the Review-Journal signals a tectonic shift in the political landscape of Las Vegas and Nevada and has the potential to reverberate all the way to the White House,” wrote John Smith, a columnist at the newspaper.
Some have also alleged that Adelson might use the newspaper to promote his political allies – such as right-wing political parties in the U.S. and Israel, of which the billionaire is a known financial supporter – or even to promote the gaming interests of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.
The Review-Journal is the latest in Adelson’s series of media acquisitions. In 2007 he opened a free daily newspaper in Israel to bolster support for the country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, followed by the purchase of a small religious publication, Makor Rishon.
“I don’t think anyone thinks he is doing this to benefit the Las Vegas community or Clark Country,” Alan Deutschman of the University of Nevada, told New York Times reporters, concluding that “everyone thinks this is in his [own] self-interest.” Staff reporter