Project 'M': The Gupta plan to buy the M&G and turn it into a puppet paper
'Editorial position has certainly been a factor in this decline and one would question how quickly one can reclaim the lost government advertising spend, and how much of an editorial positioning change will be needed to achieve that'
The Guptas considered buying one of their most vociferous critics, the Mail & Guardian newspaper, in a James Bond-style "Project M", leaked e-mails show. The e-mails, from January 28 2016, show that Zimbabwe's Alpha Media — which publishes three national newspapers: News Day, The Standard and the Zimbabwe Independent — was also in the family's sights. In an e-mail with the subject line "Some early thoughts on Project M" sent by the former chief executive of Gupta company Oakbay, Nazeem Howa, to Rajesh "Tony" Gupta, Howa speaks about the possibility of buying the M&G and its sister titles, "which are indeed brands which have great recognition factor in South Africa across all sectors of society". "The newspaper is champion a position [sic] that President Zuma is corrupt and should be relieved of his responsibility. They have made it their focus to find ways to support the #Zumamustfall campaign, and the family and our group have become convenience [sic] pawns in their strategy to uns...
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