《南方日报》集团竞购美国《新闻周刊》失败

概要：《中国日报》报导称，《南方日报》报业集团在尝试收购美国《新闻周刊》(Newsweek)失败后，正在寻找机会收购另一家西方新闻出版机构。报导称《新闻周刊》收到了约70份收购建议书。报导并引述《南方日报》报业集团下属《南方周末》执行总编向熹表示，竞购失败的原因可能是因为竞购者的国籍，而不是开出的价格。报道指，《南方日报》报业集团曾联合上证上市公司“成都博瑞传播股份有限公司”(Chengdu B-ray Media Co.)和另两家投资基金竞购《新闻周刊》。向熹表示，《南方日报》报业集团正在寻求联合一批投资者竞购其他海外媒体。

China's Southern Daily Group's recent attempt to acquire Newsweek magazine - the country's first bid for a Western publication - has failed, but the bidder is expecting to make other, similar purchases, the publication's senior management said on Thursday.

"The offer to Newsweek is a volunteer action of Chinese media professionals and investors," said Xiang Xi, managing editor of Southern Weekly, a weekly owned by the Group, who was granted an exclusive interview with President Obama during his visit to Beijing last November.

"With nine-language versions, Newsweek's platform with global communication resources and influence is in line with our pursuits."

The head of China's most influential weekly denied any government involvement in the investments behind the bid for the Washington Post-owned news weekly.

Xiang said the Group partnered with B-raymedia, a Shanghai-listed company based in Chengdu of Southwest China's Sichuan province that owns several metropolis papers, and two other investment funds in the purchase attempt.

About 70 bidders are interested in acquiring the current affairs weekly. Newsweek, which has been engaged in a fierce decades-long rivalry with Time magazine, lost more than $28 million last year and advertising revenue dropped 37 percent.

Xiang said the money is not what is keeping the Chinese bidder outside of the door.

The tagline of Southern Weekly - described by the New York Times as "China's most influential liberal newspaper" - is "to understand China".

Xiang said the move is for the world to have a better understanding of China, and for China to know more of the world.

The attempt to buy Newsweek is a beginning, said the 38-year-old, adding that they are "seeking to round up investors to bid on other media abroad."

"The move is an encouraging trend for China's going-out strategy," said Yu Guoming, vice-president of the journalism school at the Beijing-based Renmin University of China. "The strategy has, for a long time, focused on overseas expansion of Chinese media."

The global impact of China's conventional media that speaks and thinks on Chinese logic has been questioned, he said.

"No matter if the media organization is state or privately owned, the Western stereotype always views it as a propaganda vehicle," Yu said. "But it could be changed if Chinese media understand and play by the West's rules."

"The investment in Western media is the first step."

Notes:
acquire: 收购
in line with: 按照；与...一致