That’s quite an allegation in today’s print edition of the Palo Alto Daily Post (which isn’t online). It claims about 30 missing newspaper racks, belonging to the Post, San Jose Metro, SF Weekly and USA Today have “mysteriously disappeared” and turned up in the back lot of the Mercury News’ San Jose headquarters.
The piece quotes Metro publisher Dan Pulcrano this way:
“Apparently they’ve decided that since they are shrinking the circulation of their failing publications and melting down their own racks, they need to extend that methodology to racks they don’t own, whether legal or not.”
The Merc has put out a statement (Jim Romenesko posts it) denying any impropriety, saying, among other things, that “local authorities” instructed the newspaper “to remove several newsracks that were not in compliance with a local rack ordinance.”
Safe bet: more to come.
