Spy’s faith in Fleet Street was severely tested this week by an email from the City’s nearest equivalent to the Bible. The paper edition of the FT flutters daily through the letterbox of Spy Towers, providing 20-odd pages of news, opinion and even the odd review.
As readers of The Standard will know – and there are very many more of them – old school ink offers a break from pixels and the screen. But while the best things in life are free, the Pink ‘Un is not cheap. Spy was paying £75 a quarter for the print edition, an expense just about justifiable in these tough times.
Then a came the bolt from the blue: “…when your current rate will come to an end … your new price will be 159 GBP per quarter”, said the bombshell missive, having opened with: “We trust that our award-winning journalism continues to empower you to navigate your world with confidence.”
Lost and horrified at the prospect of an eye-watering 112% price hike, Spy is preparing for a bleak future devoid of hot takes from Martin Wolf, Janan Ganesh and the rest of the Bracken House gang.
