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New Republic's Longtime Owner Sells Control to 2 Financiers

This is probably the worst news I've heard all day, with the possible exception of my girlfriend getting hit by a truck at lunch (she's fine -- more on the incident later). The moderate-left publication is being sold to a partnership that includes at least one arch-conservative. Quoting from the Times article:

"Diehard liberals often complain, of course, that The New Republic has gradually shifted to the right over the years. But the transaction nonetheless marks a break with the venerable magazine's history. At least one new owner, Mr. Hertog, is a prominent patron of conservative organizations, as chairman of the Manhattan Institute and a trustee of the American Enterprise Institute. And the new partners have stirred questions among readers and contributors about both The New Republic's future and about Mr. Peretz's reasons for selling two-thirds of the magazine."