This story is either a question of “how low can you go?” Or there’s never a proofreader or sharp editor when you need one. I was reading this Reuters story published in the Times (originally reported by the Wall Street Journal) about former’s attempt to sell its stake in the Boston Red Sox and Boston Globe when this passage popped out at me:
The Times previously refused to sell the Globe after former General Electric Co Chief Executive Jack Welch and former advertising executive Jack Connors reportedly asked about the possibility. At the time, they valued the Pulitzer prize-winning newspaper at $550 million to $600 million, the Journal said. Barclays now values the Globe at about $20 million.
My first thought was: Wow, I knew newspapers were in crisis, but one of America’s premier papers is now only worth $20-million?! When it was worth $600 million not too long ago? How the mighty have fallen. This also made me worry about the fate of the Times itself.
But then I started thinking: this has to be a typo. It’s simply not possible for the Globe to be worth only $20-million. Assuming it is a typo how ironic that the Times itself reprints a typo which makes its investment in the Globe appear to be virtually worthless. Talk about making yourself look bad. This story struck this commenter at the Boston Phoenix the same way.
