Media Roundup: We Got Critics; Alana Black's Moment

From the Web news services, three pieces, all on the side of comeuppance:

1. The already-mentioned Andrew Clark of the Guardian, whose profile of Conrad Black strikes a note of pity for the fellow, but does contain the class positioning that is not atypical of the Guardian. His profile contains two tidbits, one naming the identity of the man who guessed at a possible "bewitching wife" strategy that the prosecution may use, and another about Conrad Black's elder son, Jonathan-David.

2. An opinion piece in the Montreal Gazette, whose readership is evidently still smarting at one or more of Conrad Black's cracks. The piece makes mention of the fact that 59% of Canadians don't sympathize with Conrad Black, and makes it very clear that he's not gonna be blaming Canada for this one. An unusual feature of this piece is the author herself taking Canadians to task for being "lazy" (but not envious), and thus being too dependent upon Americans. A sentence from it that should stick in the head: "Until he is acquitted, until he succeeds in exposing 'this case for what it is,' Black will be viewed as just another failed Canadian abroad - a commodity that seems in surprisingly large supply for such a milquetoast country as ours." Note; this piece is of the opinion that Conrad faces fourteen charges, not seventeen - and it manages to blend a yearning for comeuppance with the assumption that he'll be acquitted.

3. For straight-up colourful ranting, once again, the Aussies come up on top. Subscription required for this one, but you can cadge a free trial.

And...where there are critics, there are gamers. Courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times comes an item on an unearthed (alleged) bribery scandal in the building inspection department of City Hall. "Junior" Daley, the current Mayor of the place, expressed the opinion that the group of alleged bribers and bribees "wasn't as bad as Conrad Black, former CEO of the company that operates the Chicago Sun-Times on trial for allegedly stealing about $84 million from Hollinger International." I guess it depends upon who ya know...

And furthermore...Conrad Black's daughter, Alana, is becoming something of an item in two Toronto-based papers, the Sun and the Globe & Mail. There's also one from the Financial Post.

[UPDATE: The Times Online of London also has an item on Alana, a webbing of the same item printed up in the Sunday Times.]