Increasing Democracy: Toll Road Giants Buy Media Critics

So you are a multi-national firm trying to get approval for a private toll road, facing media critics throughout a state. What do you do? If you are Australian toll road company Macquarie trying to build a chunk of the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor, you buy forty local newspapers:

Many of the small papers purchased, most have a circulation of 5000 or less, have been critical of the Trans-Texas Corridor. An article in the Bonham Journal for example, states, "The toll roads will be under control of foreign investors, which more than frustrates Texans."

So now those alternative voices in Texas have been shut down. This is just one more example of the problem with privatization; it creates giant new monied interests with a motivation to undermine democracy in the states for their private profit.