Financial Times CEO bullish on biz journalism

John Ridding, the new chief executive officer of the Financial Times and FT.com, sent an e-mail to the newspaper’s staff on Monday in an attempt to rally the troops, and he expressed a positive outlook on the future of newspapers — and on business journalism.

According to Guardian press correspondent Stephen Brook, the e-mail stated, “And we must make sure that the FT brand retains the respect it has earned as we extend into new channels and new markets.

“There is too much gloom and doom about the prospects for established media companies in this new environment. I don’t buy it. We have plenty of cards to play – demand for quality business news and analysis continues to grow, and we have the best journalists, editors and commentators to meet that demand.”

Read more here. (Registration is required.) Ridding, a former managing editor of the Financial Times, became the CEO last month.