Media Matters

Rothermere, lord of all he surveys

Mail editor Geordie Greig’s dismissal was part of a family takeover stephen glover

Should you offer reflections about a newspaper for which you write a column, if it’s the media story of the month? However hard you try, complete objectivity is impossible. But the task must be undertaken nonetheless.

Geordie Greig has been summarily dismissed as editor of the Daily Mail (where I have a column), arguably the most powerful job in what used to be called Fleet Street. This came as a huge shock to most observers, and to Greig himself. It seemed he had done what was expected of him when he took over the reins from Paul Dacre three years ago. He had been asked to soften what were seen by management as the newspaper’s abrasive edges, and did so, while heeding its ancestral voices.

Why Greig was jettisoned – he retains the fairly meaningless title of ‘consultant editor’ – only the man who wielded the axe, the Mail’s proprietor, Lord Rothermere, truly knows. But it is possible to read the runes by asking who is thriving following his departure. A couple of people are – and another one now reigns supreme.

Nine days after Greig’s dismissal, there was an even more surprising development. Martin Clarke, who has been editor of Mail Online for 13 years, and the driving force behind it, announced his resignation. As I write, the exact reasons are unclear, but it seems likely that this ambitious man asked for more powers over Mail Online than Rothermere was prepared to give him.

One obvious victor in this revolution is Ted Verity, formerly editor of the Mail on Sunday. He has been put in charge of both titles, in what will be a seven-day operation with some merged departments. It is a daunting task. Without doubt, he will wield immense power. He will also be expected by Rothermere and the management to make editorial cost savings.

A second victor is Paul Dacre, removed from the editorship of the Daily Mail in 2018 after 26 years at the helm. He returns as editor-in-chief of DMG Media, advising Rothermere and the editors. This is a stupendous comeback. Tellingly, he had left a largely honorific role at the company only weeks before being reappointed to a similarly named job when Greig was dismissed. I am sure the new one carries real responsibilities.

So Verity and Dacre have both benefited enormously from Greig’s ejection and Clarke’s departure. The two men get on very well. Verity could be fairly described as a protégé of Dacre’s, and they share similarly robust right-wing views. Whoever succeeds as editor of Mail Online is bound to have less power than Clarke. That suggests to me that Verity and Dacre will have more.

There is, however, one person who emerges from the upheaval even more triumphant than the others. I am speaking of Rothermere, the surprisingly little-known 54-year-old proprietor of the Mail titles and Mail Online. For the first time since he inherited the empire from his father, Vere, in 1998, he will be calling all the shots.

Much of his enhanced power will come from his taking the company private. Since 1932, his family has had a controlling stake in Daily Mail and General Trust, which has been quoted on the stock market. As I write, privatisation is not quite a done deal because a couple of significant shareholders have been holding out for a higher price. But people who know more about these things than I do say that Rothermere is likely to prevail. If he does, he will be in unfettered command of his ship.

I doubt he will interfere in the editorial running of Mail Online and the Mail titles, though he may exert more influence than before. The point is that no one can impede him. During much of his long editorship of the Mail, Paul Dacre was a de facto proprietor, running the Mail almost as though it were his own newspaper. He returns, honour and dignity restored, as a crucial adviser.

Verity will be allowed to get on with the job of editing two titles but within strict financial constraints imposed by Rothermere and management. As for Martin Clarke, he is rumoured to be leaving to work for Rupert Murdoch, but will be unable to do so until the end of 2022 because of contractual obligations to DMG Media. The departure of this formidable, mercurial figure confirms that it is Rothermere who rules the roost.

I’m not suggesting that the triumphant proprietor is some sort of megalomaniac who will seize control of the papers in the manner of, say, Lord Beaverbrook, the famous owner of the Daily Express, or indeed Lord Northcliffe, founder of the Daily Mail. He is not as political a figure as they were. I am sure he will continue to seek advice. But it is entirely his company now – assuming the deal goes through – and for the first time his hands will be the only ones on the tiller.

For five decades, since David English became a successful editor of the Daily Mail, senior journalists in the company have had more power than their counterparts in other media groups.

Lord Rothermere is now master of all he surveys.

‘I’d like the amount that is good for your health – twice…’