The owner of The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com just gave up his newspapers and website in the name of journalism. The struggling outlets' sole owner, H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest, announced Monday night that he has donated his three news organizations to a newly formed media nonprofit, the Institute for Journalism in New Media, in the hopes of preserving quality journalism in the Philadelphia area for years to come.
"I have thought more and more about what the city would do without the Inquirer and the Daily News, so it became a quest to find a structure that would ensure the permanence of journalism in Philadelphia," Lenfest, 84, said. "This is the best solution." Lenfest won control of the news organizations' parent company, Philadelphia Media Network, just two years ago in May 2014 when it was up for auction. This followed multiple changes of ownership, bankruptcy, and layoffs at the publications.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Supreme Court to resolve Louisiana gerrymanderSpeed Read The court will hear a case challenging the second majority-Black district in the state
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strikeSpeed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
-
America might be in a second Gilded AgeIn the Spotlight The first Gilded Age was marked by rising inequality and a push for social change
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
