About
Michael Leidig is a prominent British journalist and author, who has been based in Austria since the early 90s. He has variously worked as news presenter on the country’s national public broadcaster, ORF, and as editor for two of its English language newspapers, Austria Today, and the Vienna Reporter. He also produced English language news with a daily English section for the daily broadsheet Die Presse, and separately for Wiener Zeitung, the world’s oldest still selling newspaper.
Mike founded the international news agency, Central European News (CEN), in 1995. CEN went on to launch other online news wire projects that included the Austrian Times. His other news agencies included Newsflash, AsiaWire and Clipzilla, a network that employed 30 people and had offices in Austria and Macedonia with staff also working in Iran, Egypt, China and Turkey.
In 2006, he co-wrote the book “The Girl in the Cellar – The Natascha Kampusch Story” ( Hodder & Stoughton), and two years later established the Austrian charity project, Journalism Without Borders. That same year, a series of investigations that he had provided won The Paul Foot Award for Campaigning and Investigative Journalism.
His latest book, The King of Bullsh*t News, takes its name from what CEN was referred to by Buzzfeed. Copies are available through The Double Agents.
Mike is the current vice chairman of the National Association Of Press Agencies, a trade association which represents independent press agencies and freelance journalists. Separately, he is the founder of Quis Custodiet (QC), an organisation that regulates unregulated media outlets.
Today, much of his time is dedicated to NewsX, a community interest company that brings publishers, producers and journalists together on a decentralised, not-for-profit platform.
Further Information:
Michael Leidig – Wikipedia
