Critic: 25 Years Ago, The JOA Began The Detroit Newspapers' Downward Spiral

By: W. Edward Wendover | Deadline Detroit

The corporatized decline of American journalism entered warp speed 25 years ago today -- Nov. 13, 1989 -- in Detroit.

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 4 to 4 that morning not to block the Detroit Newspapers’ Joint Operating Agreement, Wall Street and its beancounters realized that neither the Justice Department nor the U.S. courts would ever again stand in the way of consolidation – even monopolization -- of the news industry.