Australia-based Macquarie Media Group, the owner of the Empire-Tribune and other Texas community newspapers, is a component of the organization that includes Macquarie Bank and multiple other entities, including Macquarie Infrastructure Group which is planning a controversial and potentially very profitable toll-road construction project in Texas.

The controversy in Texas about various aspects of the toll road itself has also spread to Macquarie's acquisition of local media outlets, such as the Stephenville Empire-Tribune and other Texas newspapers.

Some opponents of the Texas toll road project have even alleged that Macquarie is buying newspapers to manage media coverage and opposition to the road project.

Upon acquiring American Consolidated Media, the Macquarie organization simply stated that they considered the purchase a good investment, according to published reports.

Macquarie is known for hiring former politicians in Australia as highly-paid executives.

Macquarie also purchased the investment firm formerly owned by a recent candidate for the U.S. presidency.

According to Wikipedia.org, "An unusual feature of Macquarie Bank, as a financial institution, is the very strong political connections that it maintains through the appointment of former politicians and senior political staffers to senior and highly paid positions."

Texans and others might wonder how foreign ownership of local, regional and national media outlets might affect news coverage of current events that range from UFO sightings to toll road projects.

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