The Tyrant Billionaire

This person was currently the president of the Los Angeles "Daily Forum," a small newspaper with a daily circulation of just over 10,000 copies and only six employees, operating at a loss.

Despite this, the newspaper maintained its style.

Its content was serious, mainly covering politics, economics, military, international relations, law, human rights, science, literature, and academics.

Typically, these topics were covered by major international newspapers. Small newspapers usually take specialized routes to survive, such as financial newspapers, stock newspapers, entertainment newspapers, etc. A small newspaper with serious content had no survival space.

It neither had authority nor a broad information source to compete with major newspapers.

But this president, Mark Kean, had persisted for two years.

Of course, whether he could continue was uncertain. Losing money while not making any was something few could sustain.

Perhaps this was related to his background. He graduated from Worcester College, Oxford, later worked at the New York Times, and became deputy editor in chief at age 28. When World War II broke out, Mark Kean joined the army and became a war correspondent.

He reported extensively from the battlefield, even venturing deep into France under fire, writing many wartime articles.

After the war, he left the army and didn't return to the New York Times but instead started his small newspaper, the "Daily Forum," reporting world news from his perspective.

Hardy met Mark Kean in his office and found that he looked somewhat like Tom Hanks, with a similar long face.

"Mr. Mark should know the purpose of our meeting," Hardy said.

"Yes, Mr. Andy told me. Mr. Hardy, you want to establish a global newspaper and need a suitable person to manage it," Mark said.

"So, are you willing?"

"Of course, I am. It's always been my dream to run a global newspaper."

"Then tell me, can you handle this job?"

Mark Kean recounted his resume and said, "I speak four languages: English, French, German, and Spanish. With these languages, I can communicate in most parts of the world."

"Acquiring newspapers and setting up offices in other countries requires frequent travel. I'm 34 years old and full of energy."

"I have extensive work experience: deputy editor in chief of the New York Times, war correspondent, and founder of my own newspaper. I can handle various problems."

Hardy nodded. These were indeed his advantages over others.

"So, what are your demands, such as shares, bonuses, and salary?" Hardy asked.

"Boss, I don't want shares or bonuses. The salary can be standard. But I have one request," Mark Kean said seriously.

Hardy knew that people who didn't care about money were often the hardest to deal with.

"Let's hear it."

"I hope that the Global Times will strive to report truthful news and not be biased for any political purpose. Otherwise, it would lose the purpose of journalism and become a tool for manipulating public opinion."

Mark Kean finished, looking directly at Hardy, without a trace of fear in his eyes.

Hardy thought for a moment and said:

"The principle of the Global Times is to strive for truthfulness, without fear or favor, unbiased, and free from any party, region, or special interest. That's my idea. What do you think?"

Mark Kean's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Hardy, do you really think so?"

"Of course."

Mark Kean became more excited. "I just want to run such a newspaper. Mr. Hardy, if you let me be the president, I'll do my utmost to make the Global Times strong. With your financial support, I believe the Global Times will not lose to major newspapers like the Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, and the New York Times."

Hardy stood up and extended his hand to Mark Kean, "Then, the work is yours."

Mark Kean shook Hardy's hand excitedly.

"Boss, how much money are you willing to allocate?" Mark Kean asked.

This guy changed his tone quickly.

"How much do you want?"

Mark Kean thought for a moment. "My initial plan is to acquire 20 newspapers in the U.S., then acquire five newspapers in Europe, and set up five news bureaus. In Asia, we would set up two news bureaus in Japan and Hong Kong, acquire a newspaper in Australia, and establish three to five newspapers in South America."

"With this scale, it would cost at least 2 million dollars."

Mark Kean looked at Hardy. Although Hardy had just expressed his full support, he didn't know to what extent Hardy would support him. After all, 2 million dollars in this era was a huge sum, equivalent to 200 million dollars in later times.

Hardy smiled faintly, "No problem. I'll allocate 2 million dollars to the Global Times, but this money will be managed by Andy's finance team."

Mark Kean was overjoyed.

"Great, boss. Rest assured, I won't waste the money. Every penny will be put to its best use."

After saying this, Mark Kean hesitated.

He then awkwardly said, "Boss, how about acquiring the Daily Forum as our first newspaper?"

Hardy laughed heartily.

The Daily Forum was precisely Mark Kean's struggling newspaper.

The "Global Times" newspaper office was officially established, but Hardy did not become the legal person. He took Andy and Mark Kean to Las Vegas.

In Hardy's hotel room, Hardy called Irina for a private meeting.

"Boss, the TV station's progress is going smoothly. Colin Firth is doing well. He's witty and humorous, making him a great host for this open style program. He's currently recording shows," Irina reported.

"Good, let's see the footage later. I have another matter to discuss with you," Hardy said, handing two documents to Irina: a "Shareholder Agreement." and a "Legal Representative Agreement."

Irina was surprised after reading them. Hardy was setting up a newspaper, and the Shareholder Agreement stated that she would own 2% of the Global Times.

And he wanted her to be the legal representative.

"Boss, why make me the legal representative?" Irina asked curiously.

Hardy shrugged and said, "U.S. law states that one person can't own both a newspaper and a TV station. To avoid future trouble, Andy suggested I find another legal person. Of course, the legal person doesn't need to hold shares."

"Then why give me shares?"