'Sun-Times' Editorial: Conrad Who?

By: E&P Staff In a Sunday edition editorial that is alternately dismissive of Conrad Black and a little bitter about the way he managed the paper, the Chicago Sun-Times says it has ?moved on? from the scandal -- but nevertheless greeted his guilty verdict on fraud and obstruction of justice charge with ?a great sigh of relief.?

The verdict, it said, was ?more than enough to put him behind bars and a giant step towards guaranteeing that he cannot regain control of his media empire.?

In early 2004, Black was ousted as chairman and CEO of the Sun-Times parent corporation, then known as Hollinger International Inc., but remained its controlling stockholder through a Toronto holding company also called Hollinger. That stake is in the hands of a court-ordered receiver, but Black often spoke of returning to control of the publishing company, now called Sun-Times Media Group (STMG).

The editorial, headlined ?We?ve already moved on,? said the integrity of the Sun-Times news product was never impugned during the fraud scandal that also enmeshed its former publisher, F. David Radler.

?We have a new name, a new boss, even a new headquarters -- moving out of our aging Wabash Street building, where the old regime cut off the escalators to save money, even siphoning millions of dollars for themselves, to our new digs up the river,? the editorial said.