Abstract
‘But actually the greater risk of the paper being owned by the UAE is… simply the perception of Emirati control in the minds of the British public. Readers would ask: “How can we know that what you write – or suppress – about Israel/Palestine, or Islam, or the state of the oil market, or even Manchester City [which Sheikh Mansour owns], is not influenced by your ownership?” ’
– Charles Moore, former editor of The Daily Telegraph, in that paper
‘Doubtless, for most of the time the charming but ruthless people who run Abu Dhabi will take very little interest in the editorial content of the publications one of their number has acquired. But we may be certain that there are some opinions which the rulers of the emirate would want to suppress. Abu Dhabi is part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has an appalling human rights record. It sits in 145th place in the 2023 International Press Freedom Index compiled by the group Reporters Without Borders.’
– Stephen Glover, in the Daily Mail
‘ Jeff Zucker strikes me a someone who would be a supportive, laissez-faire boss. So I’m not arguing that the magazine would be vandalised by its would-be new owners: if they invest in the right things, I can see it thriving. But always with a cloud of suspicion hanging over us. ’
– Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator, in that magazine
‘It is ever more important that trusted news sources are able to dig and writers are able to say what they want to say. Of course, there will be disagreement, but that is much healthier than censorship by omission, which is what I am afraid may happen with this new ownership.
It would just be easier not to say certain things; to keep quiet. But it’s too late now, I’ve said them. I would not be doing my job as a writer if I didn’t. ’
– Suzanne Moore, writing in The Daily Telegraph