After months of speculations, Jeff Bezos, the Amazon guru and the media tycoon, finally let us know why he purchased The Washington Post for a quarter. Of a billion.
I know something about the Internet, he says, and his billions stand proof for that statement, or any statement he would like to verbalize.
TPV has not had the good fortune to cross paths with the bold man, but having read Eugene Ionesco, TPV knows that if the bold man says something, then it is always meaningful, whether it is true or false. Trusting Bezos to have his journalistic employees deliver the news is like trusting his delivery men to supply Amazon goods: the cheapest variety for the most profit.
The 28-year-old Chris Hughes is a different story
. Though he is openly gay and full-haired, he is also a billionaire. Like Bezos, he is a media tycoon, too. Two years ago, Chris Hughes decided to help his husband win a Congressional seat by giving him a voice in the media, The New Republic. He purchased the magazine the way a TPV contributor may purchase a lottery ticket, if they had the money.
The New Republic proved to be a very expensive gift. In addition to its sale tag, it costs Hughes, $5 million in loss every year. That would have remained peanuts money, had Mr. Hughes’ husband won the political venue he wanted. Having failed to do so, he forced Mr. Hughes to find himself in Ms. Hannigan’s role of taking care of a bunch of orphan journalists he suddenly hates – before he tolerated them. So, Mr. Hughes, like Ms. Hannigan, is sending them all to hell: firing editors in chief or not and everybody else who can hold a pen or touch a key.
TPV could not care less about real journalists who make a living and hope to acquire a pension too by writing about news, we, here at TPV, dream about rather than research. By choosing to write for established media institutions they signed onto their own demise. TPV cares about those billionaires – and they are quite a handful – willing to lose some millions to pretend they have some distinction other than money.
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BY DANA NEACSU: The Ball of the Media Debutantes
Thanks. I knew I’d learn something! I learned that when someone is a billionaire, even if he’s only 28, we can’t help but wonder if their hair is real, or if they bought it.
I had to look up Ms. Hannigan, you media elites should consider some kind of annotation for us regular people, still liked this:
I was glad to read that someone (TVP) in this case, is caring about those billionaires – being rich enough to buy anything you could ever want, need or dream about doesn’t mean you’re happy!! Just really, really comfortable.