"Northcliffe's prime aim was not political influence or power. It was to make his papers the best of their kind in the world, and he succeeded. The Times was a special case. Northcliffe regarded The Times as a national monument much like Westminster Abbey. He wished to preserve it and believed that running it at a profit was the only way of doing so. Political influence followed inescapably, often to Northcliffe's embarrassment. He did not want office or honours. He was not a party man. He was an intense patriot, and his patriotism dragged him into politics, especially in wartime. Northcliffe imagined that he was merely serving the interests of his country. To the politicians, he appeared an irresponsible figure, seeking to dictate to parliament and the government. His financial independence made him uncontrollable: he did not need subsidies from party funds. In addition, journalists from less successful papers stoked the resentment of the politicians. Northcliffe became the symbol, in conventional circles, for all the corrupting forces which were at work in British society."
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A. J. P. Taylor, Beaverbrook (1972), p. 135
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Harmsworth%2C_1st_Viscount_Northcliffe
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Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe (15 July 1865 – 14 August 1922), was a British newspaper and publishing magnate. As owner of the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror, he was an early developer of popular journalism, and he exercised vast influence over British popular opinion during the Edwardian era. Lord Beaverbrook said he was "the greatest figure who ever strode down Fleet Street." About the beginning of the 20th century there were increasing attempts to develop popula
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