• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, February 2, 2016

Here's why people like to know who owns media outlets. The Las Vegas Review-Journal published an editorial in staunch support of a $1 billion new stadium proposed for the University of Las Vegas, which would have a number of other potential uses, including possibly hosting an NFL team.

Did we mention that the investment group is led by Las Vegas Sands Corp., the company owned by Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire who bought the LVRJ back in December?

Well actually to their credit, yes, they did mention it.

The fourth paragraph of the op-ed piece, titled “No place like dome” (really?) reads: “(Full disclosure: The family of Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson bought the Review-Journal in December. Las Vegas Sands or the Adelson family would contribute an undisclosed share of about $420 million in private financing for the stadium.)”

It would be ridiculous to expect a newspaper or local TV news to ignore a major issue like a new stadium project, with all its potential benefits and drawbacks, because of a potential conflict of interest. Indeed, it would be a disservice to their readers or viewers. Given the incredibly tangled web of local and national media ownership in this country, you might just end up with no news at all.

There’s really only one way to handle this sometimes confusing issue -- as the LVRJ did, by telling readers about the potential conflict of interest and letting them draw their own judgments, hopefully based on a comparison of your own reporting and opinion pieces with other news sources.

Of course, there’s nothing terribly surprising about a newspaper supporting a big development project, especially the LVRJ, which is already well known for a “business-friendly,” center-right editorial stance. Nor is it unusual for a wealthy investor to buy a newspaper specifically to air their views on the op-ed page.

In 2012, for example, real estate developer Doug Manchester bought the San Diego Union-Tribune with the frank admission that it would be a “cheerleader” for a proposed downtown stadium (now under consideration again).

With the ownership disclosure out there, readers can make a more informed judgment about the arguments presented in the op-ed. But now, just imagine how it would look if Adelson had succeeded in keeping his ownership of the LVRJ secret, and the connection was only discovered later, after the publication of this op-ed.

It would have been disastrous for the newspaper’s reputation, even if (as may well be the case) Adelson had no influence over the decision to publish the op-ed, due simply to the fact of his proximity through ownership.