Rumors fly as mystery shrouds buyers of Las Vegas newspaper

Why the delay? “This week, with each of the Republican candidates for president and the national media descending on Las Vegas for the year’s final debate, we did not want an announcement to distract from the important role Nevada continues to play in the presidential election”.

In any case, whoever bought the paper really seems to have wanted it. The $140 million price tag is a rich premium over what New Media Investment Group paid for the paper and related publications just nine months ago.

But despite widespread calls for Adelson to admit that he bought the paper, he has yet to do so, telling CNN that he had “no personal interest” in purchasing the Review-Journal.

Did Sheldon Adelson, whose Las Vegas casino the Venetian is readying for tonight’s final GOP debate, buy the Las Vegas Review-Journal?

The group joined media watchdogs, politicians and the paper’s staffers in demanding to know who the new boss was during the weeklong mystery.

Then speculation moved to casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who owns an Israeli newspaper. The Review-Journal is the largest-circulation paper in the state, making it a powerful tool in the run-up to the Nevada caucus, which will be in mid-February and is one of the first on the primary schedule (third for Democrats and fourth for Republicans). “That doesn’t mean you can’t own a newspaper if you have a certain bent but you should be upfront about who you are”, she said.

Strangely, the Review-Journal’s top editor, Mike Hengel, told The Daily Beast, two hours after the Fortune scoop, that his reporters were still working to confirm Adelson’s purchase. Several journalists at the Review-Journal took to Twitter to protest their unidentified owner.

Michael Hengel, the newspaper’s editor, said he wasn’t surprised by the unease in the newsroom. They pledged to invest in the paper. In 2012, he gave a super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich over $21 million, and Adelson is a huge supporter of the Republican Party, according to the New York Times.

On Monday Bush visited the newspaper’s office for a meeting with the editorial board, a common practice for presidential candidates.

Ken Doctor, a media analyst, said the sale is troubling and unlike others with private owners. The publisher has said that the new owners won’t be involved in news and editorial decisions.

The Society of Professional Journalists urged the new owners to come forward, saying in a statement that the group is “very disappointed and concerned by the owners’ lack of transparency”. The Sun’s Brian Greenspun said Thursday that if Adelson makes the Review-Journal a financial success, it’s good for both of them.