The weekly alternative paper the Santa Fe Reporter announced Wednesday that it has a new owner. Former Albuquerque City Council President Pat Davis’ Ctrl+P Publishing purchased the outlet, adding to its bench of five other digital and print papers across the state.
Longtime owners Richard Meeker and Mark Zusman announced in March their intention to sell the 50-year-old business as they take on “a new project in Oregon,” according to the Reporter. They said at the time that they were committed to finding a New Mexico-based publisher.
Meeker told the Reporter that several came forward but Davis was, “The only one who got the journalism the Reporter does and has the resources to keep it going and expand it.”
On a panel at the New Mexico Local News Summit last fall, Davis spoke about how he is able to purchase local news outlets in an era when many are going under.
“I tell people sort of jokingly — but it’s true — I wasn’t going to be in the news business. I’m a cannabis guy. Most of you know that. I do a lot of cannabis consulting, I run a big cannabis firm here,” he said. “Weed pays for all these papers right now.”
When he still sat on the city council, Davis, a Democrat, said he stayed out of editorial decisions, focusing on the business side of the papers he runs.
“I don’t write stories, I don’t know what they write,” he said. “They don’t let me anyway because they think I have some evil thing as a politician.”
In the Santa Fe Reporter announcement, he reiterated that position, saying he “stays out of the newsroom.” However, since stepping down as an elected official this year, Davis has written several articles in the outlets he owns, including City Desk ABQ, The Paper, and the Sandoval Signpost.
Davis said at the summit that he buys local media outlets because he wants them to stick around and thrive, but believes public media is actually the ideal funding model, “If you can get there and figure that math out.”
“We’re not going to get better as long as an individual human being owns these things,” he said. “Because there’s always the perception, whether you liked what we said or don’t like what we said, or covered or didn’t cover — you think it’s my fault.”
The ownership change at the Santa Fe Reporter comes along with a leadership change, as Interim Editor Julia Goldberg transitions out of her role this week. Davis told the outlet that Goldberg’s position will be filled soon “to keep the Reporter moving forward.”