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OFFER TO PURCHASE FOR CASH
ALL OUTSTANDING SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
OF
NEWSEDGE CORPORATION
AT
$2.30 NET PER SHARE
BY
INFOBLADE ACQUISITION CORPORATION,
AN INDIRECT WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF
THE THOMSON CORPORATION
THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY
TIME, ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2001, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.
August 21, 2001
To Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks,
Trust Companies and other Nominees:
InfoBlade Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware corporation ("Purchaser") and
an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of The Thomson Corporation, a corporation
organized under the laws of Ontario, Canada ("Thomson"), has offered to purchase
all outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Shares"), of
NewsEdge Corporation, a Delaware corporation ("NewsEdge"), at a price of $2.30
per Share, net to the seller in cash, upon the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth in Purchaser's Offer to Purchase, dated August 21, 2001
(the "Offer to Purchase"), and the related Letter of Transmittal (which,
together with any amendments or supplements thereto, collectively constitute the
"Offer"). Please furnish copies of the enclosed materials to those of your
clients for whose accounts you hold Shares registered in your name or in the
name of your nominee.
THE OFFER IS CONDITIONED UPON, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THERE BEING VALIDLY
TENDERED AND NOT PROPERLY WITHDRAWN PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE OFFER AT
LEAST A MAJORITY OF THE SHARES OUTSTANDING ON A FULLY DILUTED BASIS (INCLUDING,
WITHOUT LIMITATION, ALL SHARES ISSUABLE UPON THE CONVERSION OF ANY CONVERTIBLE
SECURITIES OR UPON THE EXERCISE OF ANY OPTIONS, WARRANTS, OR RIGHTS, BUT
EXCLUDING OPTIONS AND WARRANTS OWNED BY CERTAIN SELLING STOCKHOLDERS WHO HAVE
ENTERED INTO A STOCKHOLDERS AGREEMENT).
Enclosed for your information and for forwarding to your clients for whom
you hold Shares registered in your name or in the name of your nominee, are
copies of the following documents:
1. Offer to Purchase, dated August 21, 2001;
2. Letter of Transmittal for your use in accepting the Offer and tendering
Shares and for the information of your clients;
3. Notice of Guaranteed Delivery to be used to accept the Offer if the
Shares and all other required documents are not immediately available or
cannot be delivered to Computershare Trust Company of New York (the
"Depositary") by the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to
Purchase) or if the procedure for book-entry transfer cannot be completed
by the Expiration Date;
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4. A letter to stockholders of NewsEdge from Clifford M. Pollan, President
and Chief Executive Officer of NewsEdge, together with a Solicitation/
Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission by NewsEdge;
5. A letter which may be sent to your clients for whose accounts you hold
Shares registered in your name or in the name of your nominee, with space
provided for obtaining such clients' instructions with regard to the
Offer;
6. Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on
Substitute Form W-9; and
7. Return envelope addressed to the Depositary.
WE URGE YOU TO CONTACT YOUR CLIENTS AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE NOTE
THAT THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY
TIME, ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2001, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.
In all cases, payment for Shares accepted for payment pursuant to the Offer
will be made only after timely receipt by the Depositary of stock certificates
evidencing such Shares validly tendered and not properly withdrawn (or a
confirmation of a book-entry transfer of such Shares into the Depositary's
account at one of the Book-Entry Transfer Facilities (as defined in the Offer to
Purchase)), a Letter of Transmittal (or manually signed facsimile thereof)
properly completed and duly executed with any required signature guarantees or,
in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent's Message (as defined in
"Section 2. Acceptance for Payment and Payment for Shares" of the Offer to
Purchase) and any other required documents.
If holders of Shares wish to tender, but cannot deliver such holder's stock
certificates or cannot comply with the procedure for book-entry transfer prior
to the expiration of the Offer, a tender of Shares may be effected by following
the guaranteed delivery procedure described in "Section 3. Procedures for
Accepting the Offer and Tendering Shares" of the Offer to Purchase.
Purchaser will not pay any fees or commissions to any broker, dealer or
other person (other than the Depositary and Innisfree M&A Incorporated (the
"Information Agent") as described in the Offer to Purchase) in connection with
the solicitation of tenders of Shares pursuant to the Offer. However, Purchaser
will reimburse you for customary mailing and handling expenses incurred by you
in forwarding any of the enclosed materials to your clients. Purchaser will pay
or cause to be paid any stock transfer taxes payable with respect to the
transfer of Shares to it, except as otherwise provided in Instruction 6 of the
Letter of Transmittal.
Any inquiries you may have with respect to the Offer should be addressed to
the Information Agent at its address and telephone number set forth on the back
cover page of the Offer to Purchase.
Additional copies of the enclosed material may be obtained from the
Depositary or the Information Agent, at the addresses and telephone numbers set
forth on the back cover page of the Offer to Purchase.
Very truly yours,
InfoBlade Acquisition Corporation
NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN OR IN THE ENCLOSED DOCUMENTS SHALL CONSTITUTE YOU OR
ANY OTHER PERSON THE AGENT OF THOMSON, PURCHASER, NEWSEDGE, THE INFORMATION
AGENT OR THE DEPOSITARY, OR OF ANY AFFILIATE OF ANY OF THEM, OR AUTHORIZE YOU OR
ANY OTHER PERSON TO USE ANY DOCUMENT OR TO MAKE ANY STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF ANY
OF THEM IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER OTHER THAN THE ENCLOSED DOCUMENTS AND THE
STATEMENTS CONTAINED THEREIN.
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