Running private business like the government

No wonder the Oregonian is always editorializing in favor of a tax increase and against things like the Rainy Day Amendment -- the paper is run as if it's a government entity with unlimited access to money.

The evidence for this comes in today's Portland Business Journal story about a potential multi-million-dollar drop in advertising revenue as Meier & Frank (one of the paper's largest advertisers) transitions into Macy's. The latter company is expected to spend less on print ads and more on broadcasting -- a potential loss to the Oregonian of more than $2 million.

It's already happened across the country, but The Oregonian sounds like it has its head in the sand, as this paragraph illustrates:

Oregonian Publisher Fred Stickel, through an assistant, said the paper has been given no indication that Federated and its Macy's brand will advertise less than Meier & Frank. In fact, he remained confident the store would increase its local print advertising. The paper has long had an informal no-layoffs policy in its newsroom.

An informal no-layoffs policy? How nice. Doesn't that sound like the government?