Bloomberg’s billionaire list includes rival

Ryan Chittum of Columbia Journalism Review writes that Bloomberg News‘ list of the richest billionaires likely includes David Thomson, chairman of rival Thomson Reuters, because it refuses to rank its founder Michael Bloomberg.

Chittum writes, “Thomson squeezes into the last spot on Bloomberg’s list, with a net worth of $22.3 billion as of March 6.

“That means Thomson, the primary owner of Bloomberg’s chief competitor, just might be on Bloomberg’s list because Bloomberg won’t include its own owner on the list. Its well intentioned-but-overly-rigid conflicts-of-interest policy means it’s okay for it to write about its competitor but not about itself—a major player in the media and information businesses.

“And wouldn’t you know it, when you look at that other, more famous list of billionaires, over at Forbes, Michael Bloomberg happens to be No. 20, with a net worth the mag puts at $22 billion, well ahead of Thomson (and family), who Forbes says is worth $17.5 billion.”

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