"Interesting. This Jack Weekly actually swallowed 1.4 million euros whole, and those guys can't do anything about it!" Boss Huang's eyes curved into crescent moons upon hearing the news from Europe. The report was simply too amusing.
This Jack Weekly was truly shameless, invincible. Not only did they take the money without publishing the report, but they also flatly swallowed the 1.4 million euros, showing no intention of returning it to the foundation.
The foundation, in turn, could do nothing about Jack Weekly. With Jack Weekly adamantly refusing to pay, the foundation's only recourse was to sue.
But the problem was, the entity they intended to sue didn't exist. Legally, they couldn't even find a plaintiff, so how could they file a lawsuit?
Most crucially, if they were to initiate legal proceedings, the entire affair would inevitably be exposed by all media outlets, turning the foundation into the number one laughingstock in history.
Given their usual attitude of valuing face over all else, they would undoubtedly have to grit their teeth and swallow their pride, accepting the loss of 1.4 million euros.
In fact, the losses were not limited to just 1.4 million euros, as this foundation invested tens of millions of euros in European media almost every year for the purpose of publishing smear articles.
At least half of these tens of millions of euros fell into the hands of media outlets newly acquired by Jiangnan Group, and the outcome was naturally predictable. These media outlets all followed suit and swallowed everything in one gulp.
"Go get Old Hu for me!" Boss Huang said to his secretary. This Old Hu was the person Boss Huang had appointed as the head of the newly established Jiangnan Media Group.
He was originally a top media professional in China before being poached by Jiangnan Group to handle media liaison and public relations. Now, he had been fully promoted to head of the new Jiangnan Media.
Boss Huang had witnessed Old Hu's skills and communication techniques in his later life. His speaking skills were extremely polished, and his interpersonal skills were even more impressive. In essence, he was a slippery character, and entrusting him with the control of Jiangnan International Media Group seemed appropriate.
However, it was worth noting that due to his short tenure with the group, Old Hu's rank was below level 10. Yet, he was in charge of the newly established Jiangnan International Media Group, becoming one of the most powerful figures within the company. He was likely the lowest-ranked person among all those holding significant executive power.
Soon, Old Hu appeared in Boss Huang's office, his face beaming with excitement, trembling with anticipation. After all, he was about to take control of a brand new, super international media group, which, upon its establishment, would undoubtedly be ranked among the top three super media groups worldwide. It could even control over 50% of the media in the entire European region. This was a terrifyingly formidable power, meaning that he, Old Hu, could dictate what Europeans heard and what they knew, effectively controlling the entire European mouthpiece. What immense power this was!
Who would have thought that he, a person on the verge of being marginalized, could instantly surpass all his peers, leapfrogging those who had schemed against him daily, and reach a height no Chinese media professional had ever attained?
Of course, Old Hu also understood who was responsible for all this, so he remained very respectful in front of Boss Huang.
"You're leaving for Berlin in two days. I've already bought two entire buildings there to serve as the headquarters for Jiangnan International Media. I'll need you to work hard there. For the first few months, you'll need to manage the operations of various media outlets while also overseeing the construction of the headquarters. However, I'll send a professional management team to assist you. You can confidently delegate internal company management matters to them. Your focus should be on the overall direction of the group and public opinion strategy. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand!" Old Hu smiled. "Perhaps I'm not that skilled in company management, but when it comes to shaping and controlling public opinion, you can rest assured. That's what I'm best at!"
"Good!" Boss Huang nodded. "In that case, I won't give you any other instructions. I'll only tell you about the overall direction of our Jiangnan International Media Group. This is a group I've spent over 50 billion euros, accumulated over time, to establish. If you can't grasp the general direction, then you'll have to come back and continue liaising with domestic media. Do you agree?"
"Don't worry, if I make a wrong directional choice, I won't have the face to come back and continue working for you!" Old Hu replied.
"It's not that serious. After all, this direction isn't that easy to grasp. I'm mainly assigning you five points. As long as you master these five points, there won't be any problems." Boss Huang smiled.
"Please tell me!" Old Hu nodded, taking out a pen and notebook, ready to record. But then he heard Boss Huang say, "Don't write it down; use your head. Because what I say today cannot be put into writing. Otherwise, if someone else gets hold of it, both of us will be finished. You can only rely on your memory to retain what I say today!"
"Understood!" Old Hu took a deep breath and put away his pen and notebook.
"The first of the five major directions I'm talking about is to speak well of governments, to speak well of governments in various countries!" Boss Huang said calmly. "We are, after all, outsiders. The large-scale acquisition of 50% of the media in the entire European region is bound to cause concern among various countries. They will worry about what we might do to stir things up regarding public opinion."
"Therefore, the second major direction is to align with the governments of each country. We will say whatever the government needs us to say. Various media outlets can report on minor local issues, but in terms of the general direction, they must align with the governments of each country, making us their mouthpieces."
"At the same time, we must also be adaptable. When facing elections, we should support candidates with higher chances of winning. In short, wherever the wind blows, we lean that way, acting as an obedient loudspeaker for them. Only then can we stay in various countries for a long time and remain stable!"
"I understand!" Old Hu nodded. While the first major direction might sound difficult for professional media personnel, as it essentially violated media ethics, Boss Huang was speaking the blunt truth. Finding a foothold was the most important thing.
"The second major direction is absolutely not to speak ill of our own country. Just like the example of Jack Weekly earlier. The reason I acquired so much media is to protect China's reputation in Europe. In the future, two poles will be established in the world, and forces outside of those two poles will be extremely crucial to us. You must prevent all proactive or passive negative news."
"I understand!" Old Hu nodded, then added with a hint of difficulty, "But boss, what if the second major direction conflicts with the first major direction? For example, if the government of a certain country instructs us to speak ill of someone..."
"That's your responsibility. How you harmonize these conflicts is where you demonstrate your capabilities. Otherwise, why would I go to such lengths to recruit you for this position? Couldn't I just pick any level 10 person to be the president of this international media group?" Boss Huang said nonchalantly.
Old Hu's lips curved into a wry smile, but he also felt a hint of pride. It meant that in Boss Huang's eyes, only he possessed the ability to accomplish this.
"The third major direction is..." Boss Huang's third major direction might make many people's heads spin. Not allowed to speak well, not allowed to speak ill – it was simply speechless.
But Old Hu deeply understood Boss Huang's intentions. For a third-party country, whether deliberately speaking well or ill of it, the end result would be a negative image for that country.
After all, excessive flattery could easily lead to a backlash, resulting in even worse outcomes.
A simple example, as seen in China's situation: the more fiercely the "cicadas" praised the US back then, the stronger the backlash in China now.
"Boss, I understand what you mean. I will do my utmost to erase China's presence in Europe, to ensure that Europeans have no preconceived notions or opinions about China." Old Hu deeply grasped Boss Huang's intent.
"The fourth major direction is environmental protection. Environmental protection has now become a global mainstream consensus, and we must further promote this mainstream consensus by comprehensively proposing various environmental protection measures. We must not only protect forests, air, and rivers, but also protect animals and plants. In the future, even bacteria can be protected."
"In short, in one sentence, we must hold high the banner of environmentalism, making the entire European region more environmentally friendly. Anything that interferes with environmental protection must be met with condemnation!" Boss Huang said with a smile. But Old Hu listened with a bit of confusion and involuntarily asked, "Boss, I can understand protecting other things, but why protect bacteria!"
"Because bacteria are also life! Killing bacteria is killing biodiversity. Furthermore, humans have overused antibiotics, leading to many bacteria developing resistance, which is not right. We shouldn't emphasize killing bacteria, but rather coexistence with bacteria, allowing humans to develop their own resistance to bacteria and achieve herd immunity. This is the true way to coexist with bacteria, rather than abusing antibiotics!" Boss Huang seemed to be a seasoned protector of bacteria, speaking fluently, and what was more alarming was that his words seemed quite reasonable!