The Ledger Dispatch is dead as a free and independent news source. The local tribe just bought it for about 3 times its value in order to eliminate the competition for their brand new casino owned newspaper (the Acorn) with former Ledger staff, at least one (reporter) of which had been fired for very good cause, and who has already written a misleading article on an important issue in the county in need of real investigative journalism. So much for free and independent press in Amador County.
Former publisher Jack Mitchell, funded by the casino, was attempting primarily through sabotage and subterfuge to replace this 161 year old Amador County institution by hijacking most of the previous staff who walked out en masse, giving no notice, (totally unprofessional of course) and as much of the revenues (like ads) that they could commandeer, and owner T Tran decided to turn tail and run, selling it to the casino when offered a ridiculous cash out.
The good ol' boys and girls that Jack has always catered to are gleeful of course. Jack's their boy. Now he can resume his racist cartoons and alt-right screed plucked off the internet and printed in his "newspaper". Sadly those who favor independent journalism, and don't want their local newspaper owned and operated by a casino or tribe are the losers. What will happen when news affecting the tribe or the new proposed casinos happens? How will that be covered in the Ledger? Take a guess. Mitchell has pandered to the local power merchants, slanted his coverage, published lies and vicious personal attacks on private citizens not running for office, and in general failed to understand what journalism is, or should be.
The other reviews on this page and my previous ones show very clearly what we've been up against with Mitchell for many years. It's not a pretty picture. Maybe it's a sign of the times, but the demise of the Fourth Estate in America may eventually bring about our downfall, so some of us tend to take this sort of thing very seriously indeed. Ledger Dispatch RIP. read more