Koch LA Times Buyout Enrages Protesters: What We Saw at the "Save Our News" Rally

1x 1.1x 1.25x 1.5x 2x 3x

:15 :15

Download

Koch LA Times Buyout Enrages Protesters: What We Saw at the "Save Our News" Rally

HD Video Download

Protesters gathered outside of the Los Angeles Times building on Wednesday to speak out against the potential sale of the newspaper and other Tribune Company properties to Koch Industries, the privately held company owned by Charles and David Koch. Reason TV asked why the potential sale was so upsetting to those gathered and what they thought about possible city council actions against the Times.

Answers ranged from a fear of the Los Angeles Times being transformed into a right-wing propaganda machine to a general distrust of billionaires and/or large corporations owning media companies (despite the fact that the Tribune Company is, of course, a large corporation, and billionaires besides the Kochs are interested in the purchase). 

About 4 minutes. Produced by Zach Weissmueller and Tracy Oppenheimer.

Subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube channel and receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

(Full disclosure: David Koch is trustee of Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes Reason TV. He was not involved in or consulted during the making of this video.)

Comments

[XM]

Enough with all this talking. Buy the rag already, Koch brothers, and dismiss the incompetent boobs that pass as journalists there. And please, fire whoever thought readers should pay to access articles online. I can read the LAT for free when I switch to private browsing.

[margaretkelly078]

my best friend's sister makes $73 hourly on the laptop. She has been out of a job for five months but last month her pay check was $16998 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Go to this web site and read more.... http://WWW.DAZ7.COM

[Loki]

If you followed the bot's advice you could be pulling in $73 an hour and not have to worry baout paying to access articles.

[Loki]

*about

typing FAIL

[puturetokyj22]

Gavin. even though Charlotte`s artlclee is nice... last saturday I bought a great new opel since I been making $7578 this - 5 weeks past an would you believe $10k lass-month. with-out any question its the best job Ive had. I began this 3 months ago and straight away started bringing in more than $82.. per hour grand4.com
(Go to site and open "Home" for details)

[DarrenM]

I can read the LAT for free when I switch to private browsing.

Shhhh! The Kochs might actually hire competent web developers now.

[Radioactive]

would that translate to competent readers?

[JohnD]

But why would you?

[John C. Randolph]

I don't get why the Kochs want to buy an unprofitable business. Hard-copy newspapers are on their way to being a museum hobby.

-jcr

[Fist of Etiquette]

"The one thing that is so amazing about democracy is the fact that we don't always have to have the same opinions, but we will fight to the death have everybody be able to say their opinions."

"But what about the Koch brothers' opinions?"

GOTCHA!

[ErnieLane]

It's like the lady that said, on another issue, that the federal government is screwed up and not to be trusted -- so we need to give it more money and power.

[Calvin Coolidge]

Because of the reasons!!!!

[CE]

If they want left wing propaganda, can't they just switch to the New York Times instead?

[JohnD]

I don't know about that. They may be next. I hear they are having serious financial problems.

[Alan Vanneman]

If the Kochs do buy the Times et al., will "Reason" stop complaining about "the media"? Know hope!

[Tulpa (LAOL-VA)]

You'll notice they never complain about the ballet and other cultural shit the Kochs sponsor on PBS. Conspiracy!

[NealAppeal]

A private entity voluntarily donating money to support culture and arts. No that doesn't sound libertarian at all.

[Sevo]

Dunno, Alan. Will you learn logic?

[Warty]

You're not very smart, are you Alan?

[Joe M]

ALAN VANNEMAN

[playa manhattan]

I would guess that not a single person is missing work to be at that protest.

[grrizzly]

They are not missing work. They are working.

[JohnD]

courtesy of the DNC.

[The Real Jose]

I wouldn't say that they're "missing" it...

[Copernicus]

Less TPS reports at the protest.

[Calvin Coolidge]

You don't need to be a billionaire to hang out at the Times building in the afternoon on a workday. Why, look at my cousin .....

[darius404]

I'm sure they were able to get some friendly doctors to write them excuses for their employers. It wouldn't be the first time.

[a better weapon]

Something about a guy telling someone to "drop dead" while wearing a shirt with the word peace on it gets me every time. His explanation for the use of the phrase was funny.

Whatever, they're all just spinning their wheels anyways.

[Jordan]

I had no idea that Kochtopus was pronounced like Coketopus. Mind officially blown.

[Lord Humungus]

it's the real thing!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I keep pronouncing it 'cock.' Is that bad? Does it mean I'm gay?

[seguin]

Or Japanese.

[RBS]

Yeah, which is why I always found the Kochsucker jokes pretty lame.

[mad libertarian guy]

In the right circles, being a coke sucker is as bad as what liberals think about those who don't have a problem with the Kochs.

[gaijin]

then the jokes would all be kochsnorters

[gaijin]

the chick with the 'koch bloc' shirt must be feeling ironic...or just stupid.

[Suellington]

Please buy the LA Times Koch brothers and while you are at it buy the SF Chron as well.

[Sevo]

..."buy the SF Chron as well."

Pretty doubtful.
The Chron has three or four columnists who are of interest mostly within city limits. Other than that, it's an AP reseller. And a Macy's sale flier.
Worth a buck, seventy-five, tops.

[Cervantes]

PLEASE buy the Baltimore Sun, PLEASE it's so god awful.

[Stephdumas]

Add also to the list:
Boston Globe
Chicago Tribune
Montreal La Presse or Montreal Le Devoir.

[sam the man]

^Yes, buy the Tribune. I don't know what happened to them, they used to be a lot more conservative but the editorial board is almost impossible to read now with the endorsements of Obama and finger wagging at the NRA. Scott Stantis and John Kass are the only people holding it together.

[Invisible Finger]

Yep. The Tribune today is like the Sun-Times of 30 years ago. Maybe 20. Certainly the Sun-Times of 35 years ago was a better paper than the Trib today.

[sam the man]

The Sun-Times of 30 years ago was owned by Rupert Murdoch, but the Sun-Times of 70 years ago was godawful liberal bullshit. Almost as bad as the Sun-Times right now.

[Stephdumas]

Come to think of it, maybe the Koch brothers should buy the Sun-Times. I read that article from Breitbart.com who mention then the Sun-Times did some layoffs recently http://www.breitbart.com/Big-J.....aphy-Staff

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Stephdumas, Montrealer?

They should buy all Montreal papers. Include The Gazette and that rag Le Journal de Montreal.

[Inigo M.]

LOL, Le Journal de Monrtreal is a tabliod. It's just like the National Enquirer, but with local coverage.

[Stephdumas]

I'm not a Montrealer but I leave close enough to Montreal.

[Inigo M.]

Le Devoir had a front page story yesterday that alleged francophones in Quebec are losing their ability to speak French. It blew my mind. That's about as detached from reality as it gets. And people think the media in the US is out of touch.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Quebec is basically a defunct society at this point. Its obsession with language is borderline retarded now. See: Bill 14. That the CAQ are going along with it is astonishing really. For business my ass. In the end, they're just a branch of the fucking parochial clowns in the Parti Quebecois.

I'm from Quebec and have never been so damn ashamed given my position on liberty.

They're downright tyrants.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The irony is that for all their punitive laws 'protecting French' it's never been at its worse. The quality of spoken French in Quebec is country-hick. They're good at attacking us 'Anglos' but it never occurs to them they're fucking themselves in the ass. In the long run they will be shafted.

Idiots.

Meanwhile the rest of us have to wait until they 'wake up' again with another 'Quiet Revolution' and all the bad poetry that goes with it.

[Inigo M.]

I'm a transplant, and the French I learned in school was International. Ironically, when I first came up here, I found I could understand the French of a guy from the Congo much better than that of most Quebecois -- but I guess it's a dialect. I hear the French spoken by Acadians in New Brunswick is a lot worse. I'm sure people overseas who learn English from the BBC are confused if they travel to Alabama. 🙂

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Transplanted here? How's the politics to you?

Yeah, Acadian French is rough.

The dialect you get used to...eventually.

[JohnD]

No, the people from Alabama are confused by the English spoken in Great Briton.

Especially Cockney.

[GetABrainMorans]

This is what illustrated to me how silly Quebec is

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/o.....story.html

[Stephdumas]

I guess it might not be a good idea to show to the staff of Le Devoir (knowing how they would react) that article from New Geography about the decline of the French language worldwide written in 2011. http://www.newgeography.com/co.....h-language Although another guy tell otherwise http://nadeaubarlow.com/en/the.....guage-huh/

[Sevo]

..."fear of the Los Angeles Times being transformed into a right-wing propaganda machine"...
Well, turn about is fair play.

[mad libertarian guy]

They don't mind propaganda, as long as it's the Right Sort.

[Inigo M.]

It's funny that the Koch brothers are perceived by the protestors as conservatives/republicans when they are actually liberatarians. I see very sharp differences between the two philosophies.

It's surprising the people protesting don't even really know what they are battling against. Then again, I guess it's not surprising at all.

[DarrenM]

I see very sharp differences between the two philosophies.

To Leftists, anyone who disagrees are barbarians and placed into the same mental box. They have to be. Leftists don't have room in their minds for that many boxes.

[Inigo M.]

I don't disagree at all with that, but I would also bet that if Libertarians get into a discussion about foreign policy or the war on drugs with a Christian conservative, they would quickly get labeled as extreme liberal moonbats. It just seems sensible to me that one should do enough "opposition research" to at least understand where others stand, regardless of how ill-considered those stands may be.

[Sevo]

"I would also bet that if Libertarians get into a discussion about foreign policy or the war on drugs with a Christian conservative, they would quickly get labeled as extreme liberal moonbats"

Yep. Cons are only willing to tolerate libertarians if they can generate some votes for the cons.
'Course the same is true of lefties.

[Bill Dalasio]

Cons are only willing to tolerate libertarians if they can generate some votes for the cons.

No. The Con leadership is only willing to tolerate libertarians if they can generate some votes for the cons. Individual conservatives usually aren't that hostile to libertariansism. They just have trouble breaking away from the RAH RAH TEAM!! bullshit.

[GetABrainMorans]

This is plainly obvious when Shrike or Tony get into a conversation here. They'll cite "BOOOSH" as if it's an attack on libertarians. Even when we tell them we're not Republicans. Over. And. Over again.

[Bill Dalasio]

It's surprising the people protesting don't even really know what they are battling against.
The sad truth is the modern left doesn't really see a need to understand who they're battling. If anything, that's a distraction. Command central will identify the target of their two minute hate for them. Today, Emmanuel Goldstein is the Koch brothers. Yesterday, he was Rupert Murdoch. The day before that, he was Richard Mellon Scaife. If it suits them, tomorrow, he'll be George Soros.

[InlineSkate]

Mmmmm mmmm mmmmmmmmmmm anyone else enjoying these delicious proglodyte tears?

[DanD]

Wow, that journalist survived a quicksand pit of stupidity. The lack of rhythm in the drum circle alone would have driven me batty.

"...it's not what the general populace needs"

"I wee-ull canshel my shubshcripshin"

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The interviewer should have asked if the protestors would have minded if Soros or Turner or Gore bought the paper.

I have a hunch they would have been okay with it.

I also wonder where they went after the protest.

[Ron]

and if Gore had bought it he would turn around and sale it to AlJazzera for a profit, that evil capitalist. Of course these people would rather have AlJazzera than the Koch brothers anyday

[Sevo]

Ron| 5.30.13 @ 5:26PM |#
"and if Gore had bought it he would turn around and sale it to AlJazzera for a profit"

Not unless he found a tax dodge to move it before the end of the year.

[Invisible Finger]

Can't they get jobs at the Daily News?

[Ted Levy]

At the very least, I think Charles and David should INSIST on better looking cut-outs...

[sam the man]

I still don't know why the hell the Kochs would bother investing in this dying industry anyway. Plus it's LA, the liberals there will not be converted. So it would not only be a pointless investment, it would in fact be a dangerous investment because if they actually buy it, more people will buy into the theory that the Kochs want to monopolize the media in order to brainwash everyone into supporting tax cuts because of corporations...or something.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Maybe people are in dire need of realizing they're only seeing one-side of an argument?

[Sevo]

sam the man| 5.30.13 @ 5:33PM |#
"I still don't know why the hell the Kochs would bother investing in this dying industry anyway."

A lot of 'newspaper companies' still publish a rag, but hold interest in all sorts of other businesses.
I wouldn't bet against them, any more than I'd bet against Buffett.

[Harvard]

In economic times such as these generally (and especially for rags), companies can be wisely bought for the future value of their real estate holdings. You see the sudden interest by the Chinese in American companies? My guess is, after any meaningful economic turnaround the Kochs would move the rag to a suitable shithole in some non descript neighborhood and maximize the value of their present digs.

[burserker]

'competition is good' as she begins to understand she's been outmatched...

[Loki]

What We Saw at the "Save Our News" Rally

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess "a bunch of retarded douche nozzles nasally screeching about 'TEH KOCHTOPUSS' and 'KKKOCHPORASHUNZ'"

[Libertarius]

Why are you still calling them liberals? There's nothing remotely liberal about these maggots, save for their choice to use freedom of the mind as an excuse to sink into mindless, nihilistic depravity and pathetic indigence.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

That's true. I try to make that distinction. I don't know what these folks are. Unfortunately, they do it under the liberal umbrella.

Liberalism has been hijacked, I reckon, by irrationalism more than conservatism.

[Inigo M.]

Apparently, the terms "Liberal" and "Liberalism," as understood in England and the rest of Europe are basically what is considered "Libertarian" in North America. The classical liberalism of thinkers such as John Locke is nowhere to be found in the progressive agenda of today's Liberals. I don't even believe that's a recent development. It seems to have been the case since at least the early decades of the last century.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I agree. But contemporary liberals would claim to be of Locke's lineage - which they clearly are not.

A guy like Obama, for example, wouldn't fall under the category of liberalism in the Age of Enlightenment. He'd be filed under socialist thought of the 19th century.

[GetABrainMorans]

It seems that leftists in Europe at least have the integrity to call themselves socialists rather than corrupt the meaning of the word "liberal"

[space junk]

...and now I remember why I left that area. Bunch of fucking morons protesting about something they know little about. Can't state facts about the Koch brothers. Can't tell you the last time they actually read the paper. Didn't realize that the LA Times was already owned by a non local company... ugh! These people and the Hollywood types are made for each other.

[AdamJ]

Face it, Los Angeles (and America) is filled with a bunch of dolts with too much time on their hands.

[Minarchian]

And here I thought zombies weren't real :/

[Suellington]

I would have liked the interviewer to ask which Koch did they feel was the worse brother, Walter or Henry?

[Brian M]

Is anyone surprised that many Southern Californians protesting the potential Koch acquisitions of the LA Times are ill-informed or unable to adequately articulate their objections on the spot? How often do reporters find well-reasoned, articulate protestors of anything? ReasonTV would better live up to their name addressing the intelligent arguments that exist (on any/all sides).

[Redmanfms]

ReasonTV would better live up to their name addressing the intelligent arguments that exist (on any/all sides).

There is an intelligent argument existing on the side of those opposed to the sale of an asset to somebody or corporation that wishes to purchase it?

I'd love to hear it (read it, whatever) if it exists.

[Radioactive]

hmmmm...."cause I dont like it that's why"...how did I do?

[Radioactive]

neener, neener, neener!

[Joe M]

Wow, morons at a California protest. Imagine that. Seriously, these people are both stupid and ignorant. "Koch are conservative!" "Well, they're more liberal than the Times on the drug war." "Their views don't matter." Please please please let the Kochs pull this off!

[Joe M]

And of course, free speech as long as you agree with us.

[ErnieLane]

I bet 75% of the protestors do not read the LA Times regularly.

As far as the local ownership thing goes, it reminds me of when Malcolm Glazer bought Manchester United, and the "fans" were outraged at non-Manchester (hell, non-English) ownership. It turned out pretty well.

[JohnD]

Well, I bet 75% don't read any paper.

[RighteousTyrant]

It's ironic that as I read this, a "stop the Koch brothers" ad appears at the top. I must be visiting too many links from reddit.com/r/politics

[Sevo]

At least the ad is wasting money and Reason is getting it.

[DMH]

What do you expect? The children get upset when you take away their Koolaid.

[Intn'l House of Badass]

I'm opposed to the Koch buyout, because I want to protect the Koch brothers from making the mistake of buying a business in Californistan.

[Claude Hopper]

These protesters should be fearful of the Koch Bros. They might buy the LA Times just so they can release the Obama Khalidi tapes.

[Vince aut Morire]

Oh my if this goes through I am going to revel in the sweetness of the tears of these douche nozzles. It will be a joy joy slice of Foie Gras covered in all kinds of Schadenfreude sauce.

[Sevo]

"It will be a joy joy slice of Foie Gras covered in all kinds of Schadenfreude sauce."

I will join you in your celebration, adding some raw oysters (from that place the feds are trying to shut down), and a smoke afterwards.

[CAdevil]

So George Soros can dump money into elections and create super PACs but the Koch bros. can't buy a public company? interesting.

[D.S.A.]

If George Soros were buying the LA Slimes would these people be protesting? Doubtful.
Love how the Progressives talk about "tolerance" and "diversity" all the time, yet fail to practice it themselves. They are the most intolerant bunch of people there are.

[Eric Bana]

How would y'all respond to one of the top comments about social mobility and income inequality in this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44LHBViTZI0

I swear I'm not trolling or spamming. I suppose my issue would be "What's the problem if some people get a lot more rich than others?" but that's doesn't seem adequate for some reason.

[John C. Randolph]

Jealousy is a very ugly emotion.

-jcr

[suibne Geilt]

Strange. You are all still running narratives that follow an adversarial, traditional this or that mentality. It would imply that a simple logical statement would have an "epiphanic" effect on the poor deluded a)protestors or b) the poor deluded Koch brothers. The language talky talk may continue to defer the violence for the near future, but sorry, the inevitable "boom" is coming, and its not an economic one. You should be helping people plan for the future loss of all liberties under a repressive regime, left or right. suibne

[Stephdumas]

Newsweek is seeking buyers again.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-J.....yers-Again

Maybe the Koch brothers should do an offer for Newsweek. 😉

[buybuydandavis]

The left seeking to silence opposing views. I'm so shocked.

[JohnD]

"a fear of the Los Angeles Times being transformed into a right-wing propaganda machine". And no longer a left wing propaganda machine.

Idiot liberals.

[SonofSanfordandSon]

What does "sell independently" mean?

[John C. Randolph]

Maybe she's talking about the bankruptcy auction. 😉

-jcr

[arieljohn13]

uptil I looked at the paycheck which said $4161, I didn't believe that my neighbours mother was truley bringing home money part-time at their laptop.. there best friend haz done this for only 21 months and as of now repayed the loans on there house and purchased a gorgeous opel. I went here, Go to site and open Home for details
http://JOBS34.COM

[GLK]

The Koch's drive fear into the hearts of one-sided Liberal deniers because they possess the terrifying combination of money and a Conservative mindset. Of course anyone that has money and a Liberal mindset is perfectly OK.

[owen]

everyone are intered in jerseys can feel free to
http://mallsjersey.blogspot.com/ to us or go to our shop
http://modernjerseys.org/ to know about jerseys details.
1,nfl nike jerseys 1=22$,5=21$
2,nhl jerseys 1=33.79$,5=32.9$
3,mlb jerseys 1=17.3$/pcs,5=16.5$
4,nba jerseys 1=19$,5=18.5$
5,ncaa jerseys 1=17.3$,5=16.5$
6,soccer jerseys 21$/pcs
and other items price here.

[Kool]

You're still here?