Reuters and the British Government - re-visited

In response to Dr Silberstein-Loeb’s assessment of the Reuters/British government relationship during the First World War, this article reinforces and enlarges upon the role of the British Foreign Office in securing control over Reuters. This control was obtained with the agreement of Reuters’ senior management who were keen to secure government financial support. The government (contrary to Dr Silberstein-Loeb’s assessment) played a leading role in developing a mechanism to achieve control. The importance it attached to this is evident in the creation of ‘share 999’, a special share held by government nominees which gave its holders a power of veto over board resolutions.