Jeremy Corbyn in a video message on YouTube: "In the last few days, The Sun, The Mail, The Telegraph and The Express have all gone a little bit James Bond.t's easy to laugh, but something more serious is happening. Publishing these ridiculous smears that have been refuted by Czech officials shows just how worried the media bosses are by the prospect of a Labour government. They're right to be. Labour will stand up to the powerful and corrupt - and take the side of the many, not the few. A free press is essential for democracy and we don't want to close it down, we want to open it up. At the moment, much of our press isn't very free at all. In fact it's controlled by billionaire tax exiles, who are determined to dodge paying their fair share for our vital public services. Instead of learning these lessons they're continuing to resort to lies and smears. Their readers - you, all of us - deserve so much better. Well, we've got news for them: change is coming."
Paul Waugh on Twitter: "Labour sources tell HuffPost what Corbyn means by 'change is coming' for newspaper owners: Lab Govt wd enact Leveson 2, hike taxes on the richest, launch inquiry into media plurality + crack down on tax dodging."
The Daily Telegraph in a leader: "There is something deeply disturbing about the leader of a major political party in this country telling the British journalistic industry – one of the most vibrant and free in the world, and an essential guard against complacency and corruption – that 'change is coming'. For those who still dismiss Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn as a harmless old fool, his message yesterday ought to serve as a wake up call...Quite frankly, it is rather creepy. Mr Corbyn seems to imply, in the manner of an old-school Soviet stooge, that the whole episode is a Right-wing plot. Instead of addressing the substance of the allegations, he goes on the attack. With a closing rictus he promises newspapers including this one that we will be forced to change our “bad old habits” under a Labour government. If he means asking inconvenient questions of those in power, without fear or favour, we will never do so voluntarily. Does he mean to use force? Such implicit compulsion is worthy of a leader in Moscow, not London."
The Sun in a leader: "Ask yourself why Corbyn regularly met a Communist spy. To help Britain? No. What’s in the Corbyn files East Germany’s secret police kept after his “holiday” behind the Iron Curtain? Oddly, he won’t allow their release. Instead, he makes a sinister video — like a deranged Jackanory episode — vowing revenge on the Press. Corbyn detests scrutiny, but our story is squarely in the public interest."
The Daily Mail in a leader: "His clear message is that under Labour the Press would have been banned from quoting from the archives or interviewing Mr Sarkocy. The public would be kept in the dark."
Spectator editor Fraser Nelson on his blog after sales of the magazine hit a 190 year high: "Digital is behind the renaissance of print. The website brings millions of people to The Spectator and they can read two articles a week before being invited to subscribe for full access. When they do, the vast majority choose our print and digital package... The joy of a magazine is stumbling across new stories, finding the quality of writing draws you in to a subject that normally bores you. The vast majority of those on a trial subscription move on to a full subscription."
Mathew Ingram in the Columbia Journalism Review: "While it may be tempting to see Facebook as an evil overlord determined to crush media companies and journalists under its boots, most media companies find themselves in this predicament because they failed to adapt quickly enough, so in a sense they only have themselves to blame."
MEP and former Express political editor Patrick O'Flynn on his blog: "The Daily Express must not be turned into a toothless tiger but must continue to have licence to upset establishment apple carts in the interests of its patriotic readers. If Trinity Mirror can guarantee that then the takeover may well turn into a good thing. But given the political outlook of the national newspapers it already owns it should understand that many Daily Express readers will be rather sceptical."
Trinity Mirror in a statement, reported by HoldTheFrontPage: “Last autumn the Birmingham Mail began to pilot a new publishing approach aimed at creating a completely standalone and sustainable digital business under the new brand of BirminghamLive. We have been very pleased with the progress made in Birmingham where audience numbers are showing healthy increases since the switch to BirminghamLive, and today we are announcing plans to extend the model across the West and East Midlands, and our Bristol/Gloucester/Somerset/Dorset regions. We are also continuing to refine our print production operations in some of these regions. Our proposals will result in up to 49 roles being at risk of redundancy and we have today entered into consultation with those affected. The majority are likely to be print related roles.”
Chris Morley, Trinity Mirror NUJ coordinator in a statement: "In the days following the chief executive’s bragging that Trinity Mirror was a 'very profitable' company and putting millions of pounds in the pocket of Richard Desmond to buy the Express Newspapers stable off him, our members are incredulous at this savage blow to journalism across big parts of the group...The inquiry that Theresa May called for in the media cannot come soon enough to shine a searchlight on newspaper companies who continue to enjoy huge profits but fail to invest in their staff."
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