As an expat business journalist working in Beijing, I dream of one day interviewing Jack Ma,executive chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. He enjoys iconic status worldwide already andI wish to pick his brain on a variety of subjects.But my boss warns me Ma does not grant interviews easily. Apparently, efforts have been madefor as long as 10 years now to land an interview with the fabled entrepreneur and investor, all tono avail.
With reports suggesting Alibaba may buy into SCMP Group Ltd, publisher of the South ChinaMorning Post, Hong Kong's preeminent English daily, my urge to interview Ma is now verging ondesperation. For, the business of news is a subject close to my heart, especially the prickly issueof the future of the print medium. I say prickly because among journalists and media pundits,opinion is sharply divided on the subject.
Some argue there is no future for print in the new-age news business. I would argue that'snonsense. Hence, given an opportunity, I would like to quiz Ma, now that it appears his businessempire will likely stretch to print.
Ma has not said anything on the subject yet. But actions, they say, speak louder than words. Ifreports are to be believed, in the context of the news business, Alibaba still sees much value inprint, never mind the popularity of new media and the reach of electronic broadcasters.
If Ma confirms that print still rocks, it would reinforce the power of the printed word. Such aconfirmation could come in the form of the price Alibaba would pay for a stake in SCMP.
Not very long ago, Amazon's billionaire chief Jeff Bezos threw a lifeline to the Washington Post.A few years back, Rupert Murdoch-led News Corp invested in Dow Jones, publisher of the WallStreet Journal. This year, Japan's Nikkei spent big money to buy London's Financial Times.
Such media deals involved billions of dollars. I wouldn't be surprised if Alibaba parts with a coolpacket for SCMP. Since Alibaba is not saying much on the subject, and Ma, I learn, does notgrant interviews easily either, I have decided to convert this column into an open letter to him.
My hope is the following questionnaire would somehow reach Ma, and he might deign to addressmy queries either directly or indirectly at some point in time.