News Corp CEO Robert Thomson says printed newspapers will continue to play a crucial role in the company's multi-platform publishing operation.
In an address to staff at The Daily Telegraph newsroom in Sydney, Thomson said the company was proud of its print heritage. He took a swipe at rival Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood, who said last week it was “inevitable” that Fairfax would shut down its printed newspapers.
"Mr Thomson underscored the importance of the printed newspaper at a time of much upheaval when 'lesser media companies' are contemplating an exit from print," according to a report in News Corp's The Australian.
“We have to confidently exert the values of all our platforms and our people,” said Thomson. “There is a vast cauldron of crap content out there. It’s ladled out liberally by distributors and recyclists who are not environmentally sound but are the news equivalent of strip miners. That is why we have to work so hard to protect our intellectual property and assert ... our values and the primacy of acts of creation.”
“The rapid pace at which the contemporary world is turning with attendant economic and social upheaval has put a premium on premium content,” he said.
Figures released today by emma show the company's news outlets reach 16.2 million Australians each month.