NPR media reporter David Folkenflik got hold of an audio tape of Sam Zell's morale-sapping remarks at the L.A. Times and Tribune Washington bureau in February. That's the visit where he delivered a psychic bloodbath, saying they were overstaffed in D.C. and should be working in Orange County instead. Those remarks solidified his reputation as bad news for the journalists he employs. "[It] may help explain why many of them are deeply skeptical of him," Folkenflik says. It also led some of the staffers, perhaps many, to send out resumes hoping to land at a place where the boss actually values the product. Compare to Rupert Murdoch's first visit to the Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau, a couple of weeks later:

Murdoch told staffers that he would put more resources into Washington coverage and take on the New York Times. "It was a great meeting," the paper's Washington editor told Politico's Michael Calderone. "Everyone left feeling happy."

Sam Zell archive