The latest metropolitan newspaper circulation figures provide the newbie CEOs at News Ltd and especially Fairfax Media with their biggest and most important tests.
News Ltd
Mayne: Hartigan exit a classic Rupert power play
Without any need to consult Telstra, Kerry Stokes or James Packer, the trio that together own 75% of Foxtel, Rupert was able to poach the well-regarded Foxtel CEO Kim Williams to take News Ltd in a different direction.
@BigHarto’s resignation letter: I implore you to honour my legacy
When Rupert handed me my letter of resignation to sign yesterday, he said that my decision came as no surprise to him.
Williams, sans boys’ club machismo, breaks News Ltd mould
Kim Williams’ elevation will bring some changes, and alter key dynamics in Australia’s largest newspaper publisher.
Crikey Says: Rupert’s going to live forever
New blood was one of the reasons cited for News Ltd CEO John Hartigan’s departure to make room for Foxtel’s Kim Williams, a man with a very different management style more suited to take on the challenges of the digital area.
Media inquiry: ‘marketplace of ideas’ not working that well
The public hearings of the federal government’s media inquiry got under way this morning with a distinctly anti-statutory regulation tinge.
Mayne: News Ltd launches pre-emptive attack on Finkelstein inquiry
News Ltd is working hard to discredit the Finkelstein media inquiry before it has even begun public hearings in Melbourne tomorrow.
Artz case: Vic police ‘dumbfounded’ by level of info AFP gave to The Oz
Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police had a sharp disagreement about the extent of confidential briefings given to The Australian newspaper in order to persuade it to hold off publication of its scoop in a joint anti terrorism operation.
When The Oz muscles the AFP, that’s a story
It is impossible to separate the extraordinary behaviour of News Limited editor Paul Whittaker, revealed in the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday without also considering the context of media power in Australia.
Crikey Says: Media responsibility, and how to wield it
What kind of responsibility comes with owning more than 70% of Australia’s metropolitan and national news journalism?
News Ltd paywall comes down on its journos too
Journalists and editors at News Limited will be forced to pay to access their own work online, with staff only receiving a 50% discount on a digital subscription rather than a free one.
Crikey Says: Andrew Bolt’s readers save the day
Andrew Bolt’s rights have been trampled on, freedom of speech has been denied to him and he has been silenced. Sort of.
Rundle: carbon tax a monument to Labor, and testimony to a burial
The carbon tax will be Labor’s historical triumph; if a post-Labor Senate can lock it in, then it will be, for the Gillard government, a monument –- and like all monuments, testimony to a burial.
Blow-ups aplenty At Home With The Bolts
If the makers of At Home With Julia are looking for a sequel, then the last few days would provide plenty of illuminating material for a comedy called At Home With The Bolts.
The power of Rupert: AMP wimps it on News Corp
So why did AMP, which manages $158 billion of investments, pull its punches on News Corp?
Just what is in the affidavit that the AFP don’t want you to see?
The Australian Federal Police is attempting to suppress details of its dealings with The Australian over the controversial Cameron Stewart scoop concerning the 2009 anti terrorism Operation Neath.
Crikey Says: Crikey says: coughing up for The ALR
They closed down The Australian Literary Review today.
The conflicts of interest muddying the anti-pokies campaign
As with any public debate, the challenge in the pokies reform will be getting participants to put all their cards on the table and declare these conflicts as they arise. Stephen Mayne declares their interests on the public’s behalf.
Project Humble: help Crikey help News Ltd rebrand
News Ltd are rebranding, starting with a name change to News Australia. And at Crikey, we’re here to help. Or more importantly, you are.
News Australia made its (trade)mark in June
News Limited registered the trademark “News Australia” and a revamped logo in June this year, suggesting the media giant’s plans have been months in the making and casting doubt on a spokesperson’s claims its rebranding was “speculative”.
Changes in the offing at News as Rupert prepares to visit Oz?
Rupert Murdoch is due to visit Australia in the first fortnight of October.
Simons: what the News Ltd rebranding exercise tells us
Leaving aside all the marketing gobbledygook, the significant things come under four headings in News Ltd’s rebranding document.
Crikey Says: Crikey says: News Limited is no more
News Limited is no more, with Rupert Murdoch’s Australian empire to adopt a new name and extensive marketing strategy to counter an “arrogant” public perception, according to confidential documents leaked exclusively to Crikey.
Cracking the code and regulating the wild west of online media
Several weeks ago Crikey, and our publisher Private Media, promised our own internal code of conduct. Here it is.
Media inquiry: big winner is the Press Council
The new inquiry is certainly messy in conception, and nobody really has any idea as to how it will do its work.
