View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
December 20, 2018updated 30 Sep 2022 7:16am

News agency boss fighting libel battle with Buzzfeed creates non-profit to support freelance journalists

By Freddy Mayhew

A news agency boss pursuing legal action against Buzzfeed after it branded him the “king of bullshit news” in a story has launched a non-profit organisation to help support freelance journalists.

Michael Leidig, who runs Central European News, has used his own money to set up the Fourth Estate Alliance after the 7,000-word Buzzfeed News article “devastated” his hopes of outside investment, he said.

He claims the FEA, which officially launched yesterday, is already supporting some 40 media professionals, including reporters, sub-editors and photographers.

It aims to create online “newsrooms” where journalists can work together to produce news content that they can then send to publishers who are targeted as a match for stories and pictures using “metadata”.

Payments for news and images are then divided between members of the newsroom teams that produced them.

Leidig, who is also vice-chairman of Britain’s National Association of Press Agencies, said: “Being a freelance journalist has the potential to be the best job in the world – it just lacks investment and organisation.”

He said he spent a decade developing the project before Buzzfeed published allegations that he had faked stories and quotes in news content sent out by his agency – claims which he denies.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Leidig has filed an $11m libel suit against the website over the story. Buzzfeed has fought the claim, which is being heard in US courts.

Added Leidig: “Although the Buzzfeed story caused me to lose a substantial investment in this project, I never stopped believing in its potential to help freelance journalism, which for too long has been the poor relation of media staff jobs.

“Developments has been a lot slower as a result [of the Buzzfeed story], but on the other hand it is now a project by journalists for journalists, with nobody else looking to profit from their work.”

Leidig claimed the project provides “full transparency over the way a story is produced”.

Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford has acted as an unpaid advisor to Leidig in the creation of the Fourth Estate Alliance.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network