Guardian Newspapers Limited chief executive Carolyn McCall told WEF members in Moscow the paper would soon be announcing plans to expand its online and print presence in the U.S., the Guardian reported. During the forum, News International's Les Hinton also revealed plans to implement a television news service on Times Online — an announcement that came just before The Times printed its first US edition yesterday. And the BBC said last week it would soon launch a 24-hour cable network in the U.S.

Bonnie Brownlee, associate dean of the Indiana University School of Journalism, described the Times’ move as “puzzling” and “some novelty pipe dream.”

“It’s hard to see how they’re going to make any money,” Brownlee told the Baltimore Sun. “The BBC is one thing – there’s hope for them. But the Times? Who wants it? It’s not what it used to be. It’s a Murdoch paper! And it’s so weird reading it as a tabloid.”

America’s faltering faith in its own media probably triggered the move of British media overseas, said Peter Gross, who holds the Gaylord Family Endowed Chair in International Communications at the University of Oklahoma.

“The credibility of the American media is falling,” Gross told the Sun. “People don’t have much trust in it. They think it’s biased. It’s my feeling that the Brits looked at all these things and figured there’s a chance to make some money.”

Source: The Guardian (through European Journalism Centre), the Baltimore Sun (through Romenesko)