Media Roundup: Status and Seeking

The media stories, webbed overnight and this morning (with one exception), on the Conrad Black trial are focusing, largely, upon the Black's lifetyle before their lives fell apart:

1. From the Ottawa Citizen, a quasi-review of Tom Bower's book Conrad & Lady Black: Dancing On The Edge by Andrew Potter, who sums up its theme concisely: "By [Mr. Bower's] account (Lord Black is suing for libel) the Blacks are arrivistes of the first order, willing to lick any boot and kiss any arse in the name of social advancement." Mr. Potter then ventures that social climbing is nevertheless a human failing, before declaring that social class itself (in the hierarchical form that we know it) is obsolete, and is being replaced by a collection of diverse "hip" subcultures. After contrasting Conrad to Sir Richard Branson, he ends by concluding that Conrad and Barbara Black chose the wrong ladder to climb.

2. A Canadian Press fact sheet has been webbed by the Vancouver Sun, which states what Paul Healy is supposed to testify about: the Black's spending habits; the purchase of the New York apartment from Hollinger International; also, "Black's handling of shareholder concerns and... two contentious shareholder meetings in 2002 and 2003." It notes at the end that Jonathan Rosenberg will testify some more today, for an expected time of a few additional hours.

3. An article by Rick Westhead, webbed last Saturday by the Toronto Star, details a defense motion to restrict introducing some associated videotapes of Hollinger International shareholders' meetings, on the grounds that they contain "'irrelevant and unduly prejudicial hearsay.

"'Among the myriad statements are those that have nothing whatsoever to do with non-compete payments, ... statements made by third parties and are simply inadmissible hearsay, and those that are offered because they are highly prejudicial and incendiary.'" The motion came from counsel for Peter Atkinson.

4. Peter Worthington, in his latest column as webbed by the Edmonton Sun, has some critical words directed towards Conrad Black - for giving an impromptu interview last Thursday just outside the courtroom. Mr. Worthington concludes that it evinces a kind of arrogance that will land Mr. Black in some awfully hot water should he choose to go on the stand.

5. From Janet Whitman, a New York Post article that could be seen as a kind of payback. (Ms. Whitman was one of the journalist insulted by Barbara Black 'way back when the prosecution's case was generally thought to be a shoo-in.) It's entitled "Lord Loser" and it's about what Paul Healy is expected to testify about. "The federal judge presiding over the case, Amy St. Eve... is allowing Healy to testify about bad behavior that isn't part of the government's charges against Black.

"Healy may, for instance, offer embarrassing details about extravagant spending by the Canadian-born media mogul, including thousands of dollars expensed to Hollinger for jogging attire, exercise equipment and handbags for his glamorous wife, the conservative columnist Barbara Amiel."

6. A re-cap analysis of David Radler's testimony, by Mary Wisniewski of the Chicago Sun-Times, after introducing Mr. Radler as a "problem," begins with: "As the key government witness in the Conrad Black fraud trial, the former Chicago Sun-Times publisher came off as evasive, combative and at times downright flaky, forgetting things he'd said in his own testimony." Nevertheless, Mr. Radler did hold himself up fairly well as a pentinent, and the defense may have gone overboard, according to Hugh Totten, a legal expert quoted in it. Another expert, quoted right after the previous, has this to say about the present prosecution witness: "Prosecutors followed Radler's testimony with a witness whose credibility is beyond reproach, said John Gallo, a former prosecutor who now handles white-collar criminal defense at Sidley Austin. On the stand today is Jonathan Rosenberg, an attorney for Hollinger's special committee who investigated the non-compete payments.... [He] has backed Radler's claim that the payments had not been approved by the company's audit committee."

7. Another, briefer report by Ms. Wisniewski notes that "Radler testimony helps Kipnis."

8. In today's "Top 5" business items column in the Chicago Tribune, item #2 is "New turn in Black trial." It mentions the tapes of the Hollinger annual meetings too.

9. A report by Theresa Tedesco, webbed by the National Post, also discusses the above-mentioned motion to either strike or redact the videotapes of the Hollinger Int'l annual meetings, as well as associated transcripts being handed to the jury. It mentions that a similar motion from Conrad Black's counsel was struck down last February.

10. The Age of Melbourne has a mention of the Guardian interview Conrad Black gave, entitled "Conrad Black's War," on page 2 of its "Business Briefs" column.

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A article in the New York Times mentions in passing that Barbara Black had a book review published while embroiled in the news pages. There's another such person now, a reviewer of a golf book who is also the chair of Cerberus Global Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the firm that took over Chrysler recently, Cerberus Capital Management. The name of said chairman is none other than Dan Quayle.

Another related article has been webbed by the Globe and Mail: the son of old Black ally Nelson Davis, Glen, was murdered last weekend. Glen Davis has been a long-time supporter and bankroller of environmental causes, after taking over the reins of his father's business interests.