Chapter 248: The Conspiracy of the Ministry of Truth (2)

Chapter 248: The Conspiracy of the Ministry of Truth (2)

Honestly, when it came to the activities of the French media and the political conspiracies hidden behind them, the British were not oblivious. After all, when it came to conspiracies, the British considered themselves second to none on a global scale. Whether it was their innate cunning or the skills accumulated over the years, the British excelled in the art of conspiracy.

So, when the French came to England to run their media, the British naturally reciprocated by establishing various French publications in Paris. However, the circulation of these British publications in France was far from matching the popularity of French publications in England, not even by a small margin. In fact, they couldn't even hold a candle to their French counterparts. The primary reason behind this was that the costs for these British publications remained relatively high.

In France, the main source of income for various publications, apart from academic journals like "Nature," was not the cover price, but advertising revenue. Of course, journals like "Nature" were non-profit organizations by nature and weren't intended to make money.

For a newspaper, the larger the circulation, the more valuable its advertising space became, and the higher the revenue it generated from ads. A lower cover price, while maintaining quality, could also boost circulation. Under Lucien's leadership and with the support of the military-industrial conglomerate, French publications came to Britain with not just journalists and editors but an entire squad of advertisers. Consequently, even without the immediate goal of turning a profit, the French could slash their newspaper prices significantly.

But in the British market, they didn't have a monolithic entity like the "military-industrial conglomerate," and they lacked the backing of an "advertising brigade." This led to a frustrating cycle for these British publications.

The first issue these British publications faced when printed in France was pricing. In France, affordable newspapers had become the norm, with cover prices often barely covering the cost of materials, such as paper and printing. Their revenue primarily came from advertising. But the new British publications couldn't afford to operate that way, which resulted in a rather unfortunate consequence: their newspapers were more expensive than the French ones.Thê source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

This had disastrous effects as the high cover prices deterred potential buyers. Fewer buyers meant less advertising interest, which in turn meant higher prices for their papers. This created a self-sustaining loop. Even though these British publications made an effort to pull in advertisements, it was challenging. Even British businesses preferred to advertise in the French publications – after all, why advertise in your papers when you can't sell them?

In France, their counterparts were just as discerning. So, the advertisements these British publications managed to secure were mostly things like lost-and-found ads or missing pet notices – low-value ads. Even establishments like the Moulin Rouge in Paris shunned these British publications, which were considered "insignificant and overpriced," as the average per-ad cost was absurdly high due to their low circulation. The joke in the Paris entertainment scene for such establishments and washed-up dancers was, "You might as well advertise in British papers."

Hence, while it seemed like Lucien had raised a rather unreasonable flag, currently, the likelihood of him being shot into the sun inside a cannon was quite slim. Unlike someone else, who had enough room to enjoy a week-long vacation on the sun.

In fact, even in London, British native publications felt the pressure from the cheap French publications. Selling two copies for seven pence was unsustainable, especially without considering advertising revenue. The two papers barely turned a profit.

As soon as such a Tory-leaning media alliance emerged, it raised alarm bells for the Whigs. Although this "England News Alliance" seemed to be targeting the French "Seven Pence Alliance," they were still not as deadly a threat to the French as they were to the Whigs.

Just as scattered British media couldn't compete with the "Seven Pence Alliance" in the past, now that media leaning towards the Tory party had formed a large alliance, they might not be able to immediately repel the French, but they could easily crush the remaining small newspapers that leaned towards the Whigs.

So, a few days later, another media alliance, the "England Free News Alliance," was also established in London. Perhaps due to the rushed formation, most of its organizational regulations were copied from the "England News Alliance."

The main instigator was Charles James Fox, the leader of the Whigs, and he had the support of several wealthy individuals behind him.

As a result, England's news battlefield suddenly had three major players.

"Mr. Fox is a very interesting person. In terms of ideology, he is closer to the French, and even more so to the Jacobins. During the American Revolution, he openly praised the people of North America for resisting tyranny. When we beheaded Louis XVI, he openly said in parliament that it was Louis XVI's own fault. Such an extreme stance caused him to lose many friends and gave the Tories the upper hand in parliament. In fact, many Tory members of parliament who had originally been Whigs became Tories because of ideological differences with him.

Well, this guy is an excellent orator and debater. In parliamentary debates, he has never been at a disadvantage, and anyone who confronts him will be left speechless. However, when it comes to voting, he has almost never succeeded.

Due to his pro-French stance, this time, there are some textile merchants and steam engine businessmen behind his alliance. However, overall, his alliance is still far from matching the 'England News Alliance.' Joseph, Napoleon, I think we can offer them some support. Let's come up with a conspiracy against the 'England News Alliance,' using the discovery you made, Joseph, which hasn't been made public yet."

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