Creators Syndicate refuses to run column calling out 'hedge-fund scavengers' in journalism; Texas Observer prints it

Jim Hightower (2015 photo/Flickr)

Progressive columnist Jim Hightower's latest column criticized venture capitalists who damage journalism for the sake of investors, and singled out Digital First Media and GateHouse Media as the worst offenders, calling them "hedge-fund scavengers" and "ruthless Wall Street profiteers out to grab big bucks fast" at the expense of newspapers and their readers.

Hightower paid the price when his distributor, Creators Syndicate, refused to place his column in any publications out of fear of retribution from Digital First and GateHouse. Creators Managing Editor Simone Slykhous defended the move in an email, saying they only wanted to protect Hightower, according to the editorial staff of The Texas Observer. Hightower's assistant said Creators didn't want to anger its powerful customers.

The Observer's editorial staff decided to run Hightower's column in full, saying "He's angering all the right people." Hightower's staff circulated the column to selected newspapers, such as The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg, Ky. Read it here; it's a scorcher.