Ownership of Baton Rouge’s newspaper, The Advocate, transferred on Wednesday from the Manship family, Baton Rouge natives, to John Georges, a New Orleans business mogul.
Along with taking over ownership of the paper, Georges is bringing on two top staffers from The Times-Picayune.
Last year, after The Picayune knocked back publication to three days a week, TheAdvocate began daily circulation in the New Orleans area.
The Advocate’s editorial board has, in the past, frequently criticized Governor Bobby Jindal — who spoke at a press conference celebrating the switch.
Peter Kovacs, the new editor, said the paper will hold the Governor to the same accountability standards as it always has.
“The Advocate and The Picayune were in a lot of public access lawsuits together," he says. "And I think significantly, even if they’re commercial rivals, The Advocate and The Picayune are in a lawsuit right now together over the LSU Presidential search, so I expect that tradition to continue.”
Carl Redman, the Advocate’s executive editor under the Manships, will stay on the paper’s staff as a senior editor.