Tribune Co. Denies Playing Ball with Blagojevich

Maybe it's time for Sam Zell to become a Buddhist? It's hard not to see the workings of karma in the fact that, a day after Zell piloted Tribune Co. into a (quite foreseeable) bankruptcy, he's now being linked to corrupt Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.

Zell stands accused of being willing to sell out the Chicago Tribune's editorial independence in order to avoid paying capital-gains tax on the projected sale of Wrigley Field. (Zell's distaste for paying taxes is legendary.) According to the government indictment of Blagojevich, a financial advisor to Zell allegedly suggested the Tribune Co. chairman would see to it that a member of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board who had been critical of the governor would be fired in an implied quid pro quo for the governor's help with the stadium sale.

Here's Tribune Co.'s statement on the allegations:

December 9, 2008

Tribune Statement on Blagojevich Criminal Complaint

CHICAGO, Dec. 9, 2008 -- Tribune Company said today the actions of the company, its executives and advisors working on the disposition of Wrigley Field have been appropriate at all times. No one working for the company or on its behalf has ever attempted to influence staffing decisions at the Chicago Tribune or any aspect of the newspaper's editorial coverage as a result of conversations with officials in the
governor's administration.

"No one within Tribune Company has ever complained to me about the positions taken by our editorial board, or attempted to influence our coverage of the governor in any way," said Gerould Kern, editor of the Chicago Tribune. "It should be clear to anyone reading our recent coverage of the governor and his administration that it is fair, balanced and factual."

The staffing decisions of the Chicago Tribune are completely unrelated to the editorial positions expressed within its pages. In fact, the current leadership of the Chicago Tribune editorial board has been in place since 2000. The most recent change to the composition of the board occurred in November 2007, when a board member voluntarily left the company for other employment and was not replaced.

Tribune Company and its executives will fully cooperate with the government during its investigation of the governor.