Callers to LBC radio phone-in speak out against UAE takeover of The Telegraph
Members of the general public have raised issues concerning the UAE-backed try to take over The Telegraph throughout a radio phone-in.
On Saturday, LBC held a phone-in on the topic of “how comfortable would you be with mainstream British media companies being foreign-owned”, in response to The Telegraph takeover bid from RedBird IMI, a fund backed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the vice-president of the United Arab Emirates.
One caller from Kensington in London mentioned they’d discover the Abu Dhabi authorities’s possession of The Telegraph “worrying”. “Media is a very important part of our society, it’s not just another business… it’s designed to hold every centre of power to account,” he mentioned.
Josh, a caller from Chiswick, west London, mentioned that international governments might “use that media to persuade a country to do certain things and not deal with the consequences because they don’t actually live here”.
Russ in Leyton, east London, mentioned: “For me, it boils down to whether or not Red Bird’s assurances about editorial freedom will be assured in the long run.
“It’s down to only a judgement name – can these individuals be trusted over a interval of time or not?”
He famous that Andrew Neil, the chairman of The Spectator – which can also be topic to the takeover bid – had concluded that “he doesn’t trust them”. And he mentioned he felt “consternation at the idea of any government owning a significant slice of our media landscape”.
‘Easier to accept democratic foreigners’
Aaron, in Liverpool, mentioned: “I wouldn’t like a foreign government to own a part of the British media press.”
Duncan, in Romford, Essex, mentioned: “I don’t need any international governments proudly owning a British newspaper as a result of despite the fact that they is likely to be pleasant governments for the time being, supposedly sharing our democratic values, there’s completely nothing to forestall them altering sooner or later.
“I discover it simpler to settle for within the case of international people if they’re residing in a democratic setting.”
On Friday, The Telegraph revealed that two thirds of individuals imagine that international governments needs to be banned from proudly owning British newspapers.
A survey of greater than 2,000 individuals by the analysis company Public First discovered that 69 per cent assume that abroad governments needs to be prevented by regulation from proudly owning media shops similar to newspapers.
Last week, Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, ordered an additional investigation into the RedBird takeover.
