“The Men Who Are Killing America’s Newspapers”

Many people assume that local newspapers are dying because they haven’t been able to create a sustainable business model for the digital age, now that Facebook and Google command the advertising space. But that’s only part of the story. For The Atlantic’s November cover story, “The Men Who Are Killing America’s Newspapers,” staff writer McKay Coppins reports on the secretive hedge fund Alden Global Capital and its co-founders, Randall Smith and Heath Freeman, who have spent years gutting newsrooms and damaging democracy. “The Men Who Are Killing America’s Newspapers” is published today at The Atlantic, and is the cover story of The Atlantic’s November issue.