Gannett buys its reporters 'thousands' of Apple gizmos

America's largest newspaper publisher goes on a spending spree

The chief tool of the trade, circa 1940

Apple (AAPL) seems to be the chief beneficiary of a major tech upgrade announced Wednesday by Gannett (GCI) the largest U.S. newspaper publisher by circulation (think USA Today).

Here's the key section of the memo to employees from newspaper division president Bob Dickey:

We're excited to announce a significant investment in our newsgathering tools. This week, we have purchased thousands of new devices for many of our journalists. These include:

• iPhone 4S and related accessories such as microphones to enhance audio for video
• iPad2s and lightweight Netbooks
• MiFi wireless internet hotspots or tethering via the iPhone
• Microphones, cables and other accessories

Source: Gannett Blog.