Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
I hate to trust a source like the Worldnutdaily, but they're saying there's a good chance the Washington Times, the Rev. Moon's propaganda rag, may be going under.
The Washington Times, a daily launched in 1982 by Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, is set to lay off much of its editorial and production staff today, according to reputable sources within the paper.The struggling paper, which reportedly has lost billions of dollars in its 27-year history, may be on the verge of a shutdown within 60 days. The paper may switch to a completely online format, according to insiders.
But as usual, the Worldnutdaily leaves important facts out of the article:
In January 2008, Editor in Chief Wesley Pruden retired and was replaced by Solomon, a veteran of the Associated Press and Washington Post. Shortly after, the paper announced it would stop using terms such as "illegal aliens" and "homosexual," complying with the same standards of political correctness found at most other daily news organizations.Solomon resigned last week without explanation.
Gee, could it have something to do with the fact that Moon's son fired most of the top management of the paper a couple weeks ago?
Politics
Comments
Maybe they'll sell it to Rupert Murdock.
Posted by: SLC | November 26, 2009 9:25 AM
I have to take issue with your headline, Ed. This rag has been a submarine from day 1.
Posted by: kehrsam | November 26, 2009 9:57 AM
If the Mooney paper goes completely online, I guess the Worldnutdaily is worried about competition?
Posted by: BaldApe | November 26, 2009 11:21 AM
Is the problem that Worldnutdaily worried about competition; or is it that WND is worried about losing a valuable source?
The Times has a choice, straighten up and act like a legitimate news source (yea, that's going to happen) because there is a market for a news source. Or go out of business because if you want political cant there are plenty of free, online or MSM, sources available for free.
There is always a need for reliable news, and there is always a desire for partisan rants and screes. The later is so cheap and easy to produce that there are thousands of voices and flavors available for free. The times just can't compete for flavorful rants and tasty partisan scree.
They could, theoretically, become a legitimate news outlet but cleaving to a reality based world view might be hard for an organization that is funded by 'God's mouthpiece and representative on earth' in the form of a guy named Moon.
Posted by: Art | November 26, 2009 1:54 PM
That's an excellent comment, Art, but on balance I think it would be better that they went under. Even if they manage to mend their ways somewhat, while they remain under the direct and sole control of the Moonies, there is just too much scope of mischief on behalf of that cult.
Posted by: tacitus | November 26, 2009 2:46 PM
What with WaPo cutting off limbs and shrinking down to nothing but a bunch of overpaid conservative welfare recipients on the op-ed page, pretty soon the only D.C. news outlet might just be Wonkette (I suppose it remains to be seen what happens to the Blade).
Which seems appropriate.
Posted by: Uncle Glenny | November 26, 2009 3:45 PM
If you don't like WorldNutDaily, as you indeed should not, check Talking Points Memo.
They've been all over it.
For instance, a bigwig at the WashTimes who was let go has filed suit saying he was pressured to convert, and his suit also mentions that the paper gets more money from Moon than it gets from readers.
Posted by: Jon H | November 27, 2009 12:05 AM
Laughable. The Righties ballyhoo the free market, and yet their principal propaganda organs operate at a significant loss (i.e. the Washington Times and numerous parts of the Murdoch empire), meaning that in a truly free capitalist market they would have gone out of business long ago. Only with a significant "redistribution of wealth" do organs like the Times continue to operate. The Wash Times' circulation is 45,000 - comparable to a college newspaper! Good riddance, and I can only hope that the Moonies follow it down the drain.
Posted by: Yinzer | November 28, 2009 12:30 PM
I don't see how this matters. If the Washington Times fails, all Reverend Moon has to do is do what he did for Lazarus so many years ago; Wave his little finger, and the Washington Times will rise from the grave, and lumber about in search of human brains to devour.
Posted by: llewelly | November 28, 2009 5:38 PM
the Washington Times has started running full page birther ads.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23299370
Posted by: Chilidog | December 1, 2009 11:23 AM