Top of the week: Le Monde saved for the time being
Die französische Tageszeitung Le Monde ist vorerst gerettet. Das in schwere Finanznot geratene Blatt soll künftig von Investoren rund um den linken Kulturmäzen Pierre Bergé kontrolliert werden.
The Board of Directors of the Le Monde Group accepted a corresponding takeover bid on Monday with a narrow majority of 11 out of a total of 20 votes. The trio with Bergé will probably have to raise between 80 and 120 million euros. For the journalists of the Abendzeitung, the entry of the investors marks a historic turning point. Until now, they have exercised power in the company via the editorial company SRM and its partners. With the entry of Bergé and his partners, the journalists' share of capital will now be diluted. The editorial team will lose control of the newspaper for the first time. However, Bergé, who is joining forces with banker Matthieu Pigasse and Xavier Niel, founder of the internet provider Free, wants to guarantee the editors their freedom. There should even be a blocking minority. This could be the basis for independence, said Monde director Eric Fottorino recently.
