Conrad Black must have been joking by talking about making a media comeback. He said he sees investment potential in Canada's newspapers and would consider buying in again if the right opportunity presented itself.
The former Telegraph Media Group owner, who was deported from the US in May this year after serving a two-and-half-year prison term for fraud, was probably teasing.
He told the Huffington Post Canada's editorial board: "Any good title that's grossly underpriced could be interesting." Why they thought he was worthy of addressing the editorial board is a puzzle in itself.
After all, there is as much chance of Black becoming a media entrepreneur again as there is of Rupert Murdoch riding a police horse along Rotten Row in company with David Cameron.
Black is 67. He has been disgraced. And he isn't even a Canadian citizen. He is living in the country courtesy of a one-year temporary resident's permit.
Though foreigners aren't banned from owning newspapers in Canada, the country's tax laws mean that advertisers cannot receive the full tax deduction unless the ownership is in Canadian hands.
Then there is the problem of resources. If Black doesn't have the capital himself, which is unlikely, his record would hardly be attractive to potential investors.
As for his nationality, he revoked his Canadian citizenship in 2001 to accept a British peerage, becoming Lord Black of Crossharbour. He said in a recent Canadian TV interview that he would consider applying to have it reinstated "within a year or two" whenever he felt it wouldn't be controversial.
Sources: Globe & Mail/HuffPo/Toronto Star
