Crikey gets its day in the AFR
Dr Mumbo loves a happy ending. So it was nice to see an amicable resolution to Crikey and Nine’s brief war of words, with the former appearing in a front-page ad in today’s Australian Financial Review.
Looking to run its full-page open letter ads last month, addressing Lachlan Murdoch, Crikey’s chairman Eric Beecher told the Mumbrellacast that Nine’s papers “knocked us back”.
Offering up two explanations as to why the ads weren’t run, “One is that Crikey is a competitor as a subscription news business to the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age,” said editor-in-chief Peter Fray at the time. “The other is that they didn’t want to upset Lachlan Murdoch or the Murdochs. Both are plausible as far as I’m concerned, but it depends on who we spoke to.”
James Chessell, managing director of Nine’s papers, which includes The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, and the AFR, later told Mumbrella the claims were wrong.
“There is no ban on Crikey advertising in Nine’s newspapers. They were – and are – welcome to advertise in The Australian Financial Review.”
So Dr Mumbo is pleased to see the outcome was as stated by Chessell, with Crikey splashed on the front of today’s paper.
A sign of support for the independent outlet from Australia’s biggest media company, as it gears up to stand its ground against Murdoch?
Media watchers around Australia, including Dr Mumbo will have circled the date 27 March 2023 at this point, when the trial is set to kick off.
