Tribune Co. dresses up PR as editorial content

It started with the overall decline of the newspaper industry and devolved into bankruptcy and an embarrassing house cleaning among its brass.

Though the newspaper industry hasn’t exactly found its way—and Tribune Co. may never fully recover from the devastation of Lee Abrams and Randy Michaels— there’s a dim light at the end of the tunnel for the whole bankruptcy thing.

On Monday, confirmation hearings began, with attorneys arguing for competing versions of the company’s restructuring. The proceedings are expected to last two weeks.

In what amounts to a piece of charming advertorial, the Chicago Tribune published a Q & A by reporter Michael Oneal to keep readers up to date on the latest in its bankruptcy saga. As you may have expected, the paper buried the lead.