The Daily Iowan, the independent newspaper of the University of Iowa, announced this week it is buying the Solon Economist and Mount Vernon Sun beginning Feb. 1. The stated intent is to provide learning opportunities for journalism students. Fine with me. The newspaper seemed likely to fold as it changed hands multiple times since Doug and Lori Lindner sold the Solon Economist in 2011.
It is also fine with the current staff who posted on social media they are positive about the change and hope it will yield more advertising revenue and more subscribers. Presumably deep university pockets will backstop it if new ownership doesn’t make the paper financially successful. Like the employees, I’m optimistic and hopeful for a positive outcome.
My question is about the University of Iowa owning these weekly newspapers, after they bought Mercy Hospital. What’s going on over there? Public entities shouldn’t acquire private businesses whether or not there is an educational purpose. In this the Mercy deal is much more significant in size and community impact. Buying newspapers is in the same vein. Ownership of the Daily Iowan and these new acquisitions is by the non-profit corporation Student Publications, Inc., so there is a firewall between them and the university. The final structure of Mercy under the university is not finalized, yet there is expected to be a firewall there as well.
Because of our relationship working as freelance reporters for the Solon paper, Economist Editor Chris Umscheid publishes my letters to the editor of the 600 subscription paper. There are a few locals who write letters, each with our own distinct issues. There is very little news in the paper, but that’s been the case since Brian Fleck owned it before selling to the Lindners. If the state eliminated the requirement to publish government docs like budgets and council meeting minutes, I doubt the Economist would survive without that revenue. Maybe the acquisition by the Daily Iowan will help.
I’m waiting for the dust to settle. I may have more to say when it does, or after I read the first few editions under the new owners. That’s the news from Big Grove Township on a Wednesday.
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3 replies on “Daily Iowan Buys Solon Economist”
“Public entities shouldn’t acquire private businesses whether or not there is an educational purpose.” Interesting to think about the line in sand here. The (relatively) recent past has shown a few ways the story could end for local newspapers, including getting gobbled up by Gannett and hedge funds, as has been the case of many larger city papers, or simply caving in on themselves financially, as has been the case for many smaller publishers. Amid such a landscape the option at play here seems a more palatable devil.
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Interesting move — and a somewhat novel one from what I know from my intermittent following of journalism these days. I wish good luck and good journalism to all involved.
I have no general objection to a government related hospital purchase. Is your concern Paul based on Iowa state govt. policies that might be mandated? Press ownership adds additional issues, yes, for sure.
I don’t know if I can put my thoughts on this newspaper purchase in succinct form, so after trying a couple of erased beginnings, I leave it at that. The reply above of this being the UofI purchase or nothing is likely true — but I await to see how this turns out.
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Thanks for the comment Frank.
In our area, the Sisters of Mercy were responsible for starting all three hospitals: Mercy, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and the Veterans Administration Hospital. They have been out of it for a while now. Consolidating Mercy with the university reduces choices in the community. The main Mercy Hospital becomes just another UI clinic. It is unknown how the two entities will integrate, but they will. Mercy was not making money and that wasn’t solved by the merger. I spoke to the folks at the local clinic where I access health care and they are on month-to-month until they know if their office will remain open. The University Board of Regents is by political appointments and it is unclear how they view the future, other than they approved the acquisition.
As far as the newspaper goes, both small newspapers were doomed to bankruptcy if something didn’t happen. The same company that sold them owned another small paper near Cedar Rapids and they just folded it when they could not find a buyer. The current editor of the Economist has worked there a long while. At least he has a job. It is unclear how the university will integrate these small papers into its educational process, but that is the plan. The Daily Iowan produces solid journalistic writing, so hopefully they will bring that to the local paper.
I’m like you… waiting to see how all this unfolds.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
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