For the Record

Alden Acquires Tribune Publishing Plurality:

According to Dalton Baker of Crain's Chicago Business, Michael Ferro, the largest shareholder in Tribune Publishing, "sold his 25% stake in the newspaper company for about $118 million" to hedge fund Alden Global Capital Tuesday. In a statement, the Chicago Tribune Guild noted that it is "deeply concerned" about the acquisition because of the hedge fund's alledgedly "well-established history of harming media institutions and journalists."

Misinformation Rising:

In an op-ed for The Guardian, HuffPost Executive Editor and former Pulitzer Prize juror Lydia Polgreen contends that "the collapse of the information ecosystem" (encompassing the "viral spread of misinformation, widening news deserts and the proliferation of fake news") poses a systemic threat akin to climate change. "What we've seen in recent years isn’t just the collapse of informational authority," she said. "It is the destruction of the pact between the purveyors of quality information and the businesses that wanted to reach the consumers of that information."

Sulzberger: Baquet Succession Decision Not Imminent:

New York Times Publisher A. G. Sulzberger told BuzzFeed News Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith that he "hopes and fully expects" that Executive Editor Dean Baquet "will stay in his role as long as possible, which means any succession decision remains a long way off." Baquet, who is 63 and assumed the position in 2014, must "leave [his] jobs at 65" according to a 2018 article announcing potential successor Clifford Levy's appointment as metro editor. Other candidates to succeed Baquet include Managing Editor Joe Kahn, Editorial Page Editor James Bennet, Deputy Managing Editor Rebecca Blumenstein and National Editor Marc Lacey. All save for Kahn, a 2006 International Reporting winner, have served as Pulitzer Prize jurors.

Ramshaw, Zamora to Leave Texas Tribune:

Pulitzer Prize Board member Emily Ramshaw and former Pulitzer Prize juror Amanda Zamora will leave The Texas Tribune at the end of the year to launch what they have characterized as "a new national nonprofit news organization aimed at giving women the facts, tools and information they need to be equal participants in democracy and civic life." In a statement, Tribune CEO/President Evan Smith said, "Emily and Amanda will continue to be role models, leaders and pathbreakers. We'll all root for them hardest and loudest. I'll root hardest and loudest of all. And I'll be one of their first financial supporters."

Farrow Named Out100 Journalist of the Year:

2018 Public Service winner Ronan Farrow has been recognized as the Out100 Journalist of the Year by the LGBT lifestyle magazine. In an accompanying interview with #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, Farrow discussed his working methods. "It wreaks havoc," he said. "God bless the wonderful editors who put up with me, and Jon, my partner who was really a voice of conscience and someone who kept me strong. [...] I don’t know where I would be without those folks. When I am in the zone, dealing with all this stress and pounding away at a keyboard day and night, I am not the easiest person to put up with."

Post Launches New Climate Coverage:

The Washington Post has unveiled Climate Solutions, "a line of coverage that will explore the people and organizations focused on tackling global warming." The coverage, which launched in partnership with Rolex under Environmental Editor Trish Wilson, "will highlight a range of promising developments, from technological advances aimed at combating climate change and the efforts to deploy them widely, to everyday practices people can employ to reduce their carbon footprint." Executive Editor Marty Baron lauded the initiative's focus on "possible solutions."

FedEx's Smith Proposes Sulzberger Tax Debate:

FedEx CEO Fred Smith has challenged New York Times Publisher A. G. Sulzberger and Business Day Editor Ellen Pollock to a "public debate" on "federal tax policy and the relative societal benefits of business investments" after the newspaper published a story Sunday asserting that the shipping company "cut its tax bill to $0" and did not "[make] good on its promised investment surge from President Trump's 2017 tax cuts." The executive condemned the story as "distorted and factually incorrect." According to Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha, "FedEx's colorful response does not actually challenge a single fact in our story. We're confident in the accuracy of our reporting. FedEx's invitation is clearly a stunt and an effort to distract from the findings of our story."

Hill Reviews Solomon Columns:

The Hill Editor in Chief Bob Cusack announced Monday that the news organization is "reviewing, updating, annotating with any denials of witnesses, and when appropriate, correcting any opinion pieces" by former digital video executive and columnist John Solomon that pertain to the impeachment inquiry of President Trump. According to Politico's Michael Calderone, former U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch has denied "the allegation that she gave Ukraine’s then-top prosecutor a list of who not to prosecute," a key facet of Solomon's reportage. "I stand by each and every one of the columns that I wrote and that The Hill (both editors and lawyers) carefully vetted," he said to Politico. "All facts in those stories are substantiated to original source documents and statements." A former executive editor of The Washington Times whose work has been widely disseminated through social media, Solomon left The Hill in September to start an independent media firm.

New Knight-Gallup Findings:

The Knight Foundation and Gallup have released "Putting a Price Tag on Local News," their latest report on the economics of the form. The survey maintains that "there is little consensus about how — or whether — to sustain local newspapers," with 47% of respondents asserting that "local newspapers are vital and should be preserved even if they can't sustain themselves financially." However, most Americans are opposed to federal (66%) or local (60%) governmental subsidies, preferring "support from local residents, philanthropic organizations, individual investors and technology companies."

Trump to Award Arts, Humanities Medals:

Following a three-year break, President Trump will award the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal to eight individuals and organizations on November 21, the White House announced Sunday. Arts recipients include Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight and bluegrass musician Alison Krauss, while Humanities medalists include the Claremont Institute (a conservative think tank) and author James Patterson.