The return of Conrad Black and David Radler
If you read the headline, you are forgiven for thinking this is the title of a new horror movie.
In fact, it's the truth.
Several years ago, I wrote about how Canada's famous publishing comrades in arms, David Radler and Conrad Black, were involved in a high-stakes game with legal authorities in Chicago.
Echoing the Prisoner's Dilemma, Radler decided to rat out his long-time partner of more than 30 years.
As a result, he received far less jail time, enabling him to return relatively quickly to his mansion on Southwest Marine Drive.
Black denied all allegations, winding up in a U.S. prison for 78 months before finally making his way back to Canada.
Well, guess what? The Globe and Mail has reported that Radler is now acting publisher of the Victoria Times-Colonist. He can thank his pals at Glacier Media Group for the appointment.
Meanwhile, Now magazine cofounder Michael Hollett has tweeted that Black joined movie magnate Robert Lantos for brunch at the launch of a new Canadian film channel called Starlight.
Another convicted Canadian icon, Garth Drabinsky, hasn't been so lucky. He was just stripped of his Order of Canada. For him, rehabilitation with the country's elites is just going to have to wait a little bit longer.
Comments
5 Comments
stuartm
Mar 4, 2013 at 5:58pm
I will boycott any company that includes criminal and narcissistic Black in its management.
stuartm
Mar 4, 2013 at 6:00pm
It's informative that corporations willingly accept criminals back into their board rooms and management circles. Compare that to an ordinary Joe with a criminal record trying to find a job. This tells a lot about the mentality of corporate enterprises.
Dave
Apr 28, 2013 at 3:07pm
All people involved in money at those levels are criminal in one way or another. There is no such thing as an honest power/broker, if they are honest there is no way they could reach those levels of money/power. The only difference between the Blacks/Radler's of the world, and any other "business person" is that he got caught.
Abu Yosuf
Jul 22, 2013 at 9:37am
Like them or not, please remember, that they were tried and convicted and have paid there debt to society.
They cannot travel the US, and there are other factors that will always affect them.
They were punished- IMHO very harshly. Society needs to remember that we all make mistakes and everyone deserves to be able to put their completion of punishment behind them and move on.
ZoliR
Apr 18, 2014 at 9:50am
"[Radler and Black] have paid their debt to society" - perhaps so, in a narrowly legalistic sense. Should this license them to resume their former 'careers' (think exploitation, hoarding, slash-and-burn, etc.)? Not in a million years! And yet Radler is now busy 'publishing' (read: dismantling) the Times Colonist (behind the scenes, typically!); as for Black: his continued presence in this country (once described as 'temporary' by the 'competent' authorities...) should be considered sheer effrontery by any self-respecting Canadian!