OSAKA ¨C It¡¯s a bleak day for journalism. Mr. Market and his idea that everything and anything can be bought if you pay enough has triumphed: Even so, news that the U.K. company Pearson has accepted ?844 million (or $1.3 billion) in cash from Japan¡¯s Nikkei for the Financial Times is depressing.
The Financial Times (FT to everyone) is everything that Nikkei is not: international where Nikkei is national; cosmopolitan and even eclectic in its coverage where Nikkei concentrates on business, finance and economy; frequently questioning and criticizing its own and other governments, where Nikkei ducks challenging Japan Inc.
I must confess a vested interest. After being taught by The Guardian to ¡°mean every word that you write,¡± I joined the FT. Indeed, the FT today provides me with a small monthly pension, just enough for two tall cafe lattes a day, with the luxury of a grande on Sundays.
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