After years of austerity as its future remained uncertain, most Telegraph staffers were delighted when it was finally bought by German media giant Axel Springer, thinking it might mean some investment in the beleaguered titles.
Springer announced it would invest in the title to make it the “leading centre-right media outlet in the English-speaking world” and “back an investment programme… to grow and expand the business”. And at a recent Axel Springer leadership summit held in London, Mathias Döpfner, the firm’s billionaire chief executive, is said to have stated that the company could not cut its way to growth.
So hacks are understandably confused by the revelations that, rather than finally boosting the newsroom, the Telegraph’s new owners are… planning between 50 and 100 editorial redundancies.
Suggested Reading
Reform launches own newspaper: here’s what to do with it
It has emerged that Springer is preparing to make major job cuts to the Telegraph and its Sunday sister title with the Scrooge-like axing of a “significant proportion” of editorial staff, possibly before Christmas. A source familiar with the plans told the Guardian that it called into question Springer’s pre-sale promise to invest in journalism.
But Springer, which also owns Politico and the German titles Bild and Die Welt, recently brought in consultants to examine the financial health of the two titles and is understood to have drawn up potential cuts. They also apparently recommended that the Telegraph set up potentially money-spinning side projects such as price comparison sites and healthcare, much to journalists’ bemusement.
Meanwhile, the paper has faced a backlash for a particularly ugly cartoon which appeared at the weekend depicting Green leader Zack Polanski and his deputy Mothin Ali using tropes which a party spokesperson said were “instantly recognisable as racist and antisemitic”.
The image, which wouldn’t have looked out of place in Der Stürmer circa 1933, was captioned ‘EAT YOUR GREENS’ and pictured Ali, wearing a Palestinian flag and a badge saying ‘ZIONISM IS RACISM’, clutching a knife and fork, apparently about to eat Polanski’s head.
The Greens have now blacklisted Telegraph journalists, saying there would be no engagement until it retracts the image and issues an apology. None has yet been forthcoming.
Most popular
Suella Braverman’s book has sold only 106 copies. This is why
Zack Polanski’s moment is over
Emily Maitlis’s diary: My deep dive into Jeffrey Epstein’s hidden empire – and the network that let him get away with it
I was at Eton with Charles Spencer – this is how it explains his battle with the royals
