Could Bloomberg Buy the NY Times?

Just imagine the possibilities. Such a confluence of nanny-statism could lead to calorie counts on the op-ed page noting how much propaganda you're ingesting.

People close to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are encouraging him to buy the New York Times Co and save the company from shareholder assaults, while members of its controlling family are interested in a rescuer, according to media reports.

Bloomberg could take the company private and "help protect the brand" with his estimated $11.6 billion personal fortune, Newsweek magazine said in its April 28 edition, quoting an unnamed source.

Shares of the New York Times, publisher of the newspaper of the same name and the Boston Globe, rose as much as 3 percent.

The New York Post reported on Monday that some members of the Ochs-Sulzberger family want to find a protector, according to unnamed sources.

But a Times spokeswoman, repeating a position frequently attributed to the Ochs-Sulzbergers, said the family believes the company's current capital structure is the best way to protect its editorial independence.

Editorial independence? That's a hoot.

If they were held any more captive by the Democrats they'd legally be considered hostages.

On the upside, I'd rather see Bloomberg expand his media empire rather than the constant game of footsie about running for president as an independent.