Zucker defends UAE-backed bid for Telegraph | Mirror union blasts Reach chair
And a poll shows Telegraph readers are uneasy with possible Abu Dhabi ownership
Good morning and welcome to your daily media news briefing on Wednesday, 29 November.
The debate over the future ownership of the Telegraph is hotting up as Dubai-backed Redbird IMI closes in on a deal.
Former editor Charles Moore is among those sounding alarm bells over a great British institution being owned by a foreign state.
From the MPs' expenses scandal to the recent revelations over Matt Hancock's Whatsapp messages, The Telegraph plays a vital role holding the Government to account. It also holds a special place in UK society as the house newspaper of the Conservative Party.
In terms of overall audience it is the tenth most popular news website in the UK and has a daily print circulation somewhere under 200,000.
Redbird chief executive Jeff Zucker has given an interview to the Telegraph making assurances over editorial independence and saying that Abu Dhabi would only be involved at the stage of providing the initial investment and at the final exit stage when the Telegraph is next sold.
The question is why would Abu Dhabi pay so far above the market rate (roughly double the £600m which analysts say is the top end of what the Telegraph is worth)?
Meanwhile, Mirror union the BAJ has made a rare public condemnation of Reach management over plans to cut 450 staff.
And we report on a libel case at the High Court between two foreign broadcasters which will provide a key test of the qualified privilege defence in the 1996 Defamation Act which protects reports of press conferences and public meetings anywhere in the world.
New from Press Gazette
Jeff Zucker on Telegraph deal: ‘This is me… not Abu Dhabi’
“If The Telegraph writes a story that is true, then then there are no issues. The Telegraph should be in pursuit of the truth. That’s it, wherever it leads. Nobody is telling the Telegraph what to write or what not to write.”
Mirror union urges Reach chairman to stop ‘doing less with less’ strategy
“The current proposals are a desperate attempt to catch up, but this is impossible with Reach’s IT infrastructure, where there is consensus among staff and consumers that it is not fit for purpose.”
Two-thirds of Telegraph subscribers ‘less likely’ to renew if UAE-linked bid goes ahead
Qualified privilege defence to be tested in UK libel battle between two Pakistani broadcasters
The founder and president of ARY Digital Network, which owns the Urdu-language TV channels ARY Digital and ARY News, is suing Geo News, another Urdu channel that broadcasts in the UK.
Podcast 60: How to make local news pay with Newsquest CEO Henry Faure Walker
Last year UK regional news giant Newsquest made £40m in pre-tax profits on turnover of £190m.
This year it is tracking to have ad revenue broadly flat over two years.
CEO Henry Faure Walker spoke to Dominic Ponsford about how the publisher of 200+ titles is bucking the trend on both audience and advertising revenue decline. He also shed light on some fascinating experiments using generative AI in the newsroom.
News in brief
BBC News has promoted its live blogs editor Kevin Ponniah to become head of digital news for North America. (Press Gazette)
The Guardian has measured its impact on biodiversity and nature, finding 68% of its footprint comes from its newspaper production, 10% from its website and app and 8% from offices. It is now working on ways to reduce waste in the newspaper supply chain. (The Guardian)
Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon has told the CMS Committee she is "very proud" of the Dispatches investigation into Russell Brand with The Times and Sunday Times "because we had investigative journalists working on it for three to four years" - even though it may "implicate" historic Channel 4 programmes. The channel’s internal investigation into the Brand allegations may be completed in "weeks, not months", Mahon also said.
The NCTJ has created a new paid-for e-learning course on using AI for journalists. It said it will "help journalists increase their AI literacy, learn new skills... and develop an understanding of how AI may impact on the role of the journalist". (NCTJ)
The Guardian and Sony Pictures have inked a deal which will see Sony gain "exclusive first rights" to adapt Guardian journalism into film and television dramas and documentaries. The agreement covers both "current and developing news stories" and The Guardian's 200 year archive.
Only 120 staff have taken up The Washington Post's offer of voluntary redundancy, half the number the publisher is aiming for. Interim CEO Patty Stonesifer has now said the company will begin using involuntary layoffs if too few employees take buyouts. (Washingtonian)