Engulf and Devour: How a Hedge Fund Has Been Plundering America's Newspapers - San Francisco Bay Times

"The documentary Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink is now streaming on PBS through the end of the year, and I highly recommend it. Watching this film, viewers follow journalists as they battle vulture capitalist hedge funds. These hedge funds buy up local newspapers and gut their staff and resources. Finally, I understand what a hedge fund does!"

"Rick Goldsmith's full-length documentary exposes the strategy behind the closure of hundreds of newspapers across the country. It shows how hedge funds actually drain newspapers rather than save them. Now it all makes sense to me. But it is as sad as our disgusting prez, reminding that a crucial connection is cut off whenever newspapers go out of business. Since 2005, more than 3,200 U.S. print newspapers have shut down or merged, so support this newspaper all you can! We Bay Area residents desperately need it."

"I take my hat off to narrative films that remind us of the importance of newspapers. 1976's All the President's Men is the true tale of two Washington Post reporters who uncover the Watergate break-in and bring down a sitting president. A web of corruption, surveillance, and dirty tricks from the president's office (sound familiar?) combined with detailed mechanics of investigative journalism make this a classic. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman were perfectly cast, and deepthroat took on a new meaning."

Stripped for Parts documents how hedge funds acquire local newspapers and systematically reduce staff and resources, draining rather than saving them. The documentary traces strategies behind the closure of hundreds of newspapers and links these practices to a broader loss of community information and oversight. Since 2005, more than 3,200 U.S. print newspapers have shut down or merged, increasing the need to support remaining local outlets. Narrative films such as All the President's Men and Spotlight exemplify investigative journalism's mechanics and public importance. Local papers like the San Francisco Bay Times provide essential reporting and need community backing.

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