[kragen]

I don't know whether your first statement is true, but I'm skeptical. Certainly there are some cases where newspapers continue to operate at a loss over many years, but in those cases we hear rumblings about hostile takeovers.

Regardless, I don't think GS comes close to getting that kind of editorial control or information access with this deal.

Although you do suggest the interesting point that Facebook private messages and even public postings could be a very valuable source of insider trading information.