Sydney (AFP)
The Australian press agency Australian Associated Press (AAP) was bought by a consortium led by philanthropists, saving it from closure.
The buyout was confirmed late Monday evening, a few weeks after the announcement of the constitution of this consortium to steal using the only national press agency in the country, weighed down by the difficulties of the media sector which were aggravated by the Covid-19 epidemic.
The investor consortium, including former News Corp director Peter Tonagh, said in an email to staff that they shared "a common goal: the desire to protect the diversity of the media in Australia".
"We believe that the best way to do this is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the AAP Newswire and to provide independent and quality journalism on the issues that matter to all Australians," they wrote.
In March, the main shareholders of AAP, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and the radio and press group Nine Entertainment, had withdrawn from the agency, a surprise decision which was to lead to its closure and had fueled fears of a greater concentration of Australian media.
The resumption of AAP will be accompanied by the elimination of about half of its 180 jobs, investors affirming that it will carry out a "perennial" activity of smaller scale when the acquisition will be finalized on July 31.
The agency "will focus on burning news, politics, sport, major events and matters of public interest," they added.
AAP Legal Officer Emma Cowdroy will take the helm while Andrew Drummond will remain editor.
The rescue plan comes at a time when the Australian media are experiencing a major drop in their income.
At the end of May, the group of the tycoon Rupert Murdoch News Corp announced that it would stop printing more than 100 titles of the local and regional press in Australia, because of a collapse of the advertising incomes which was worsened by the new coronavirus epidemic.
© 2020 AFP