Dark days for Lord Black

Editorial

Conrad Black is on a book tour in support of his new biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Depression- and war-era American president whose New Deal reinvented government as a tool for social and economic change.
In a development that was not exactly on his schedule, Black's remarkable ability for historical writing – he is also the author of the definitive bio of Quebec's infamous premier Maurice Duplessis – was eclipsed by his ability to make headlines.

The suggestion is that Black may have developed a "new deal" of his own, with unauthorized payments being made to him from the company to the tune of $7.2 million. Black, who has already given up his Canadian citizenship to become Lord Black, is expected to give up the $7.2 million too, though Fortune magazine is reporting that he has received a comfortable landing as part of his agreement to resign as CEO of Hollinger Inc.

None of this would be a problem, of course, if Hollinger International were a private company, but it's not. So Black faces investigation by the American Securities and Exchange Commission over the issue.

In a country founded in part by colorful newspaper publishers like George Brown, Black is one of a small number of Canadians who have amassed media empires. Black's creation from whole cloth of the National Post was undeniably one of the most remarkable business (and journalism) stories of Canadian history. It's not to everyone's taste, but its defence of Israel and its ability to attract the country's best writers in English has made the Post a powerful force.

Black is in a tough spot. But as an historian, he probably understands the concept of pendulums swinging. Roosevelt and Duplessis had their ups and downs. This isn't the first time Black has been on the ropes, either. He may have overextended himself with the creation of the Post and with a rapid expansion of his media empire, which led eventually to his selling of some assets to Asper family's Canwest Global chain.

There is a degree of delight with which we watch Black's fall from grace, just as we gleefully observe Martha Stewart sweat under the spotlights that once flattered her. Still, Canadians who are concerned about media monopolization can take heart that even the biggest titans can be brought down to size. If legislation cannot break up the stranglehold some people view as a bane to free expression, hubris, perhaps, will.

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