from Afro-Asian Journalist
While the press monopolies in Britain devote great resources to extending their power and control over newspapers, magazines and the rest of the publishing at home, so they also expend money and energy in order to secure influence in the remaining British colonies and the newly=-independent countries of the Commonwealth. With loud protestations : they use all means open to them to see that their voices are heard in countries which have broken away from the more formal shackles of colonialism or who are about to do so.
"If the Thompson Organisation goes into the newly emergent countries of Africa, Asia and the Carribean in order to operate newspapers, magazines and television stations", Lord (formerly Sir Roy) Thompson told a New York audience in October, 1962, "this is because we feel that we have a technical job to do. We do not regard it as our function to use these media of communication in order to interfere in their social and political affairs." But, according to the Reuter dispatch reporting his speech, he also told his audience that what the millions of people in these countries "come to believe during the next few years would be decisive in the cold war".
The Thompson Organisation, whose publicationsin Britain and abroad run into the hundreds, employs ovér £50 million in capital, and during 1963 made £6 mil. lion in profit. Apart from its many newspapers in Canada, New Zealand and the United States, its ownership extends to the following countries: Nigeria (2 papers); Trinidad (3); Southern Rhodesia (1); Nyasaland (1) and Thailand (1). Recent reports speak of a decision to produce a daily paper in Liberia.
Even larger than the Thompson Organisation is the International Publishing Corporation - the vast concern run by Mr. Cecil King. Also with a list of publications in the 200 range, it is valued at some £100 million, and was the concern which bought the Daily Herald a few years ago. The I.P.C. group outdoes the Thompson Organisation in the extent of its publications in the emergent countries. It has daily, and sometimes weekly newspapers in addition, in the following countries: Nigeria (4); Trinidad (2); Sierra Leone (1); British Guiana (3); Barbados (3); Antigua (1); St. Lucia (1). It also publishes West Africa, the weekly review which circulates in the West African countries, and a seriés of publications (many printed in Britain) which are sold on the continent of Africa.
Control has also been long established by imperialist countries over news and comment which is fed into the former colonial countries by way of relayed radio broadcasting and by the use of news agencies with the sole rights of entry. More recently private and powerful television cumpanies and financial concerns in Western countries have been seeking to exert pressure in particular on African and Middle Eastern countries to allow them to set up and have a measure of control over the television networks. The London Times, speaking of television in Aden, said that "A consortium which is mainly British is in the field there, as has been the case in parts of Africa....e..The motive seems to be more ideological and educational than financial."
Recently a newer venture was launched by the foundation whose aim is to train journalists and radio television personnel in order to help what the promoters call "the general advancement of knowledge and material and spiritual enlightenment of all people". Its first course - reported in the Thompson Sunday Times under the headline "Emergent Journalists learn about press freedom" - included journalists from Jamaica, Egypt, Nigeria, the West Indies, India, Uganda, Bermuda, Kenya and Jordan.
-_—-——