The new owners of the Daily Telegraph have made large numbers of staff redundant, telling them the title will be transformed from a newspaper \u201cinto a global, AI-powered premium media and intelligence business\u201d.<\/p>\n
In an all-company briefing and email on Friday morning, staff were told the title would rely increasingly on technology, data and AI to \u201creinvent the reader experience\u201d. Newsroom insiders said they expected as many as 100 people to lose their jobs.<\/p>\n
The \u201cnext chapter\u201d of the Telegraph will focus on new revenue streams including \u201cvideo, audio, puzzles, events, B2B, licensing, commerce and new products\u201d, the CEO, Carolin Hulshoff Pol , wrote.<\/p>\n
It will also focus on growing its audience internationally, \u201cparticularly in foreign affairs, defence and business\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
Some staff were told on Thursday they were being fired, while others received calls and emails on Friday morning. Some senior staff were said to be in tears as they told colleagues their fate.<\/p>\n
The culture and sports departments have been particularly hard hit, according to insiders. A source from inside the Telegraph said the atmosphere in the newsroom was \u201clike a morgue\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Telegraph was bought in June<\/a> by the European media group Axel Springer for \u00a3575m, ending three tortuous years<\/a> for the title and its staff, during which potential owners were blocked, fell through or faced fierce internal opposition.<\/p>\n The paper joined a stable of media brands including the German titles Bild and Die Welt, as well as the digital outlets Politico and Business Insider. Mathias D\u00f6pfner, Axel Springer\u2019s chief executive and controlling shareholder, said he intended to invest in the Telegraph to make it the \u201cleading centre-right media outlet in the English-speaking world\u201d.<\/p>\n