Defending The Papers He Fought.

This is the kind of shape the newspaper business is in: Brian Tierney, a former public relations executive with a reputation for going after reporters, has become the last man standing in a fight to keep Philadelphia's newspapers out of the hands of lenders. Mr. Tierney, who ran his own communications company before buying The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News in 2006, is the kind of newcomer that longtime newspapermen love to hate. He's slick, he cut his teeth in public relations, and he loves to wrap his mouth around a catchy phrase. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]