USA Today writes in an editorial:

That’s one reason the proposed XM-Sirius combination, announced this week, may be the rare merger that is good for consumers.

The rare merger that’s good for consumers? That’s rich coming from the flagship newspaper of Gannett, the rapacious media conglomerate that has swallowed up the major independent papers in Iowa, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arizona, Vermont, and other states.

Now, to be sure, USA Today did endorse the radio merger. And I don’t question the right of newspaper owners to sell their papers to Gannett. But USA Today ought to acknowledge that its parent company has been built on mergers (or takeovers) that in the eyes of critics reduced competition.

The rare merger that’s good for consumers? Mergers often benefit consumers; they can generate efficiencies and reduce costs. And the market is the best test [.pdf] of which mergers work and which don’t.