Tribune Publishing: Nope, we’re not selling

Rupert Murdoch’s scoop may not be all that reliable. Tribune Publishing says it’s not being sold.

The newspaper owner issued an internal memo, also posted on its internal website, that denied a widely circulated tweet from the News Corp. executive chairman claiming that not only was Tribune Publishing going to be sold, but, separately, its Los Angeles Times would be bought by a secondary party.

Murdoch’s tweet set off speculation that Tribune Publishing was fielding offers, a rumor that’s circulated plenty of times before.

The company, which was spun off from Tribune’s TV business, said in its denial: “As our Board of Directors noted earlier this fall and as we articulated in our November earnings call, Tribune Publishing remains committed to its strategy and transformation plan and is not engaged in discussions or a process to sell the company. As we finish the important fourth quarter, we appreciate the continued hard work and commitment of our employees.”

Murdoch had tweeted last week that Eli Broad, backed by a local group, would purchase the LA Times.

He didn’t specify who was going after Tribune Publishing, but he did note that News Corp. was not interested and had not submitted a bid.

Since Murdoch is a media mogul, his tweet was widely reported despite the fact that there was no evidence supporting his conjectures.

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