It’s public knowledge that Sheldon Adelson and his family purchased the Las Vegas Review-Journal despite an agreement that Gatehouse/New Media Investment would keep the new owner’s identity secret “indefinitely.”
Adelson and his team wanted to remains anonymous, according to a copy of a 10-K filing first reported by Politico. Unfortunately for Adelson, reporters at the Review-Journal and other publications identified him as the paper’s new owner. The secret was revealed after in December, only a week after Adelson and his family purchased the paper.
The 10-K filing from New Media Investment Group stated that as the seller, it would “hold, and will cause its and their respective Representatives to hold, in strict confidence any and all information, whether written or oral, concerning the business activities and affairs of the Purchaser, its Affiliates or its Representatives …”
The family initially said it kept its ownership secret for a week because it didn’t want to distract attention from a Republican debate being held in Las Vegas the same week.
“We understand the desire of the hard-working staff at the R-J and others in the community to know the identity of the paper’s new owners, and it was always our intention to publicly announce our ownership,” the family said in a statement after their identity was revealed.
Since being revealed, Adelson’s family said it acquired the paper because it believes that a “strong and effective daily newspaper plays a critical role in keeping our state apprised of the important news and issues we face on a daily basis.”