The editor and publisher of a Sheldon Adelson-owned newspaper in Connecticut has apologized for an article he published that appeared to attack a judge on behalf of the billionaire.
Michael Schroeder, owner of Central Connecticut Communications and editor and publisher of the Bristol Press, personally apologized for the article in an editorial published on Tuesday.
The Dec. 1, 2015, article, “Business courts a way for state economies to remain competitive,” focused on the creation of business courts in states like Nevada, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
However, the article seemed to focus on Nevada judge Elizabeth Gonzalez, who it said “has made rulings that appear inconsistent and even contradictory between them.”
Specifically, the story called out Gonzalez for her role in a wrongful termination suit involving former Sands China president Steven Jacobs and the Sands Chairman, Adelson.
An investigation by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a paper recently acquired by Adelson, revealed that three reporters had been assigned to look up information on three Nevada judges, including Gonzalez. The Review-Journal investigation also uncovered the fact that the author whose byline appears on the article does not exist.
“In this case, a part of the story involved a matter concerning the buyer of the Las Vegas Review-Journal,” Schroeder wrote. “There should have been a tagline indicating that I had a business relationship with that person.”
“I personally apologize to you, our readers, for the concern caused by this story,” he wrote.
He began by saying that national and international news outlets are best when it comes to reporting on world events, but local newspapers like Bristol Press and The New Britain Herald are more suited to local news.
“That is the obligation of our newspapers, and to the extent we allow our precious resources to be used in other endeavors, we fail our public trust,” he wrote.