WP: "According to secretly recorded phone conversations, the Democratic governor had his deputies convey a threat that Blagojevich would block the Tribune's effort to sell the Chicago Cubs unless certain staffers were dismissed. An aide to the governor told him a Tribune financial adviser suggested that changes would be made at the editorial page. But the journalist targeted by Blagojevich, Deputy Editorial Page Editor John P. McCormick, was not fired. As media analysts question the continuing relevance of newspapers, prosecutors are charging Blagojevich in an extraordinary scheme to silence critics at the state's largest paper -- even as they were urging editors not to undermine the investigation with premature disclosures. A day after Tribune Co. filed for bankruptcy, the charges raise new questions about the embattled tenure of Zell, the Chicago businessman who bought the media conglomerate last December."

Posted by Laura at December 9, 2008 11:52 PM