The Belo Corp., parent company of the Dallas Morning
News (DMN), recently announced a "move to buy" a 12.4% share
of the Mavericks, giving the media conglomerate "a stake in
a controversial venture to build a downtown basketball and
hockey arena," according to Howard Kurtz of the WASHINGTON
POST. The move -- which would put Belo in "business" with
Dallas developer and Mavs Owner Ross Perot Jr. and
Rangers/Stars Owner Tom Hicks -- prompted an internal memo
from three DMN reporters who called the deal, "at a bare
minimum, a perceived conflict of interest." The "griping
prompted" DMN Exec Editor Gilbert Bailon to hold a meeting
with 150 DMN staffers to convince staffers that the paper
"will overcome" the appearance of conflict "by showing we're
going to do stories that are tough and balanced." But
Dallas City Council member Donna Blumer wonders how "they
can ever be objective" in reporting on the new $335M
AmericanAirlines Center. Kurtz also notes that Belo donated
$5,000 to the Yes! For Dallas committee "to promote the tax
for the basketball arena" and pledged $100,000 "toward the
city's bid to land" the 2012 Olympics. Belo spokesperson
Harold Gaar "dismisses such concerns": "I don't see that a
minority ownership in a sports franchise -- in which the
organization has no actual say-so in the running of that
franchise -- is really much less of a conflict than the fact
that 85 to 90 percent of our revenue base comes from
advertisers in our community" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/10).
