5. William Randolph Hearst and his New York newspapers were huge fans of Robert Moses. Why?

When the Manhattan entrance of the Triborough Bridge was moved to East 125th Street, guess who owned that property? That’s right, WR Hearst owned all of the land required for the Manhattan Triborough Bridge entrance and approach roads at East 125th Street, and he was paid handsomely for the land by The Triborough Authority. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, Robert Moses received constant unquestioningly positive publicity from all of Hearst’s New York publications. Some of this publicity was certainly warranted for the many projects Moses built for the benefit all New Yorkers (i.e. renovating Central Park, building Jones Beach, opening 12 municipal pools in one summer, etc.), but could this business deal for a previously unremarkable parcel of land have influenced editorial policies and attitudes towards Moses? By the 1950s public opinion, journalistic skepticism, and Hearst’s news empire had all begun to change, along with Moses’ reputation. Hmmm…