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The acquisition of the Nigerian Daily Times by the Daily Mirror, following the visit of a director of the latter journal to West Africa, is, on the face of it, a curious proceeding. Actually it is not so very curious, desirable or undesirable though the transfer may be. Journalism in Nigeria is not a very profitable commercial proposi- tion, but it has other advantages. A paper can push a cause in West Africa as well as in Eastern Europe, and there is in fact another Nigerian paper which pushes a cause not easily distinguishable from Communism. Hence the very proper desire that the Nigerian Daily Times should prosper sufficiently to provide an effective antidote. In that, I gather, it has not succeeded very impressively, even with some Government support. That explains the advent of the Daily Mirror. If you ask why the Mirror of all papers, the answer, I suppose, is that that journal has, since the days when it was threatened with suppression by Mr. Morrison (under the Coalition Government), been a warm supporter of Labour, and it has in the last few months exhibited a new and quite salutary interest in Commonwealth affairs. The Labour M.P.s who are so concerned about "monopolistic trends" in modern journalism had better keep an eye on the Mirror's tendency to expansionism.
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