Editor & Publisher says ‘Moguls’ explores the highs and lows of billionaire newspaper ownership

Longtime newspaper executive Matt DeRienzo has an insightful review of “The Return of the Moguls” in the trade publication Editor & Publisher. He begins:

Hoping a random billionaire buys your local newspaper and makes everything great again is probably not a solid plan for saving journalism in most of America. But examples of just that in Boston and Washington, D.C., are providing room for experimentation that could help the rest of the industry figure out new business models.

That’s partly the conclusion of a new book by Northeastern University journalism professor and Boston media critic Dan Kennedy. “The Return of the Moguls: How Jeff Bezos and John Henry are Remaking Newspapers for the 21st Century” explores turnarounds at the Washington Post and Boston Globe, failed attempts elsewhere, and the overall limits and pitfalls of the “billionaire savior” model.

Read the whole thing.