As has been much discussed, the Tribune chain of newspapers — including the Los Angeles Times — is up for sale, and the billionaire Koch Brothers say they want to buy it, according to reliable sournces, including the Wall Street Journal. A HuffPo summary:
Tribune emerged from bankruptcy in 2012, and began preparations to sell off its newspapers earlier this year. New York Times' Amy Chozick reported that the Koch brothers were the frontrunners to buy the papers, ahead of other potential buyers including Rupert Murdoch. The reports have prompted some Los Angeles Times staffers to say that they would quit if the sale went through, and a grassroots fundraising campaign to buy the Tribune papers.interested in buying it.
Now, back on the Internet, a clever new website called Kochify the News allows readers to take real news items and "Kochify" them with the click of a mouse.
Here's an example. A front-page story on climate change and drought begins with a classic 21st-century headline:
Climate Change May Bring Drought to Temperate Areas, Study Says
Wet areas will get wetter and dry areas will get drier, says a scientist, describing the findings of a NASA-led study on rainfall trends. Drought-prone areas include the Southwestern United States.
And, now, in the Kochified version:
Climate Change to Add More of What We Love to All Our Favorite Areas
Thanks to the wonders of Earth's naturally-changing climate, our favorite sunny travel destinations are getting drier, warmer, and just better. But don't worry rain-lovers, wet climates are going to be flooded with more watery goodness too.
It's astonishingly good — and intended to be a start on the way to building an on-line constituency.
h/t: Jack Shafer
Kit Stolz 