Media Confidential

The Telegraph: The deal is done

Media Confidential

Show Notes

In today’s episode Alan and Lionel focus on the sale of the Telegraph.

They discuss the new owner, Axel Springer, and what its CEO Mathias Döpfner said he would do if he bought it when he appeared as a guest on Media Confidential in 2023. Döpfner had previously tried and failed to buy the same paper.

Our hosts also disagree over Döpfner’s approach to controversy, the political right and journalism—and they speculate about how a Telegraph journalist might be feeling now the deal has been done. Lionel also talks of how Döpfner's views might not be exactly as they seem.

Alan and Lionel also try to conclude their long-running bet as to whether or not Rupert Murdoch is a genuine Substack follower and respond to listener questions.

You can listen to a full interview with Mathias Döpfner on Media Confidential here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Media Confidential

Aug 27, 2026

In Prospect’s last episode of Media Confidential, Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber look back on three years of the podcast.

Aug 24, 2026

Billionaires, millionaires and biohackers are plying themselves with supplements and consulting AI to extend their lives indefinitely. But would you want to live forever? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist and author Katherine Stewart, who investigates the politics of the longevity movement.

Aug 20, 2026

In today’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss the death of Professor Jason Arday, the Cambridge academic who took his own life last week after weeks of media scrutiny.

Aug 17, 2026

In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Jonathan Shainin, founding editor of Equator, a new longform publication with ambitions to challenge inherited assumptions about journalism—and the world it describes.

Aug 13, 2026

As Andy Burnham marks his first two weeks in Downing Street, the polls are registering a bump in support for Labour. This week, Ellen Halliday and Imaan Irfan are joined by Prospect’s contributing editor Tom Clark to assess the prime minister’s first steps in office.

See all episodes →