3:52 pm - July 23, 2026
Highlights the importance of integrating AI in newsrooms to foster meaningful change Emphasises the need for journalists and managers to view AI as a tool for value creation Warns of cultural hurdles and stress on verifying information in the AI era Need some summer reading? This week’s newsletter comes in…
Berlin-based startup Beatsquares raises $2 million in seed funding to enhance its AI platform The platform converts editorial content into multiple formats across digital channels Funding will support team expansion and international growth efforts Berlin-based AI startup Beatsquares has raised $2 million (about €1.8 million) in seed funding to expand…
Suggestion for industry-focused ‘Festival of Failure’ to promote open discussion of setbacks Critique of current journalism events highlighting repetition and lack of actionable takeaways Advocates for shorter days, more networking, and panels focused on failures to foster growth and innovation “I want to start an uncomfortable conversation: Are there too…
Media Concierge Group posts £12.9m EBITDA for first full period post-acquisition Integration of National World (now Iconic Media Group) has gone smoothly, boosting performance Company aims to strengthen local titles while expanding its UK and Ireland publishing footprint Media Concierge Group has said the integration of National World has gone smoothly, after reporting a stronger set of results in the first full period since the acquisition. The media holding company posted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £12.9 million for the 12 months to 30 September 2025, while turnover rose to £137.6 million from £113.5 million a year…
Economist launches Economist Play, a $15/month multimedia bundle combining videos, podcasts, and newsletters Strategy aims to reach a younger, gender-balanced audience with mobile-first content Emphasis on newsroom authenticity through faces and voices, moving away from anonymity The Economist has launched a lower-cost subscription bundle built around audio and video, in a move designed to reach younger and more gender-balanced audiences while squeezing more value from its expanding multimedia output. The new product, Economist Play, is priced at about $15 a month, roughly $10 below the publisher’s full-access digital offering. It combines long-form video from The Economist Insider, paywalled podcasts, daily…
Data shows games and interactive content drive deeper user loyalty. Publishers are overestimating the importance of breaking news for app retention. Investment should focus on habit-forming features to reduce churn and build routines. I used to bristle when I worked at The Sunday Times and a friend said he had a subscription to the paper version for two reasons – and neither had anything to do with the journalism. First, he was a big fan of the crossword, which he regarded as the best on Fleet Street. Second, he said the broadsheet format made the paper excellent kindling for his…
Der Spiegel refuses to let AI write or rewrite its articles, citing responsibility and trust. Industry faces tension between efficiency and accountability in adopting AI tools. Growing concerns over accuracy, transparency, and the future role of human journalists. Whether journalists should use artificial intelligence to write stories has become one of the sharpest fault lines in modern newsrooms. Some editors see AI as a useful tool; others fear a gradual erosion of authorship, accountability and trust. News organisations are increasingly relying on AI for routine tasks while trying to preserve public confidence in journalism. As publishers draw different boundaries around…
Getty Images strikes a multi-year licensing deal with OpenAI The partnership enhances ChatGPT’s image relevance and trustworthiness Shares rise as Getty aims to monetise its archive amid AI-driven disruption Getty Images has struck a multi-year licensing deal with OpenAI that will allow its pictures to appear in ChatGPT’s search and discovery results, in a move that could give the AI chatbot access to a more authoritative pool of visual material. The partnership is aimed at improving the quality and relevance of image-rich responses inside ChatGPT, while keeping the arrangement limited to display rather than model training. Getty said OpenAI will…
AI now accounts for 10% of revenue, with projections of over 60% growth in AI and Studio divisions The company expands in North America and integrates international brands, reaching half of the UK audience New strategic investments and creator-led content fuel sustained growth amid a strong digital advertising market Independent…
Expert warns news industry is still writing as if it’s 1957 Discussions highlight challenges of mobile storytelling and atomisation of news Questions remain about verification, funding, and brands in an AI-driven news future “We are still writing like it’s 1957” was the blunt assessment of Mario Garcia, speaking earlier…
Over half of global news consumers now turn to social media and video networks, surpassing traditional news websites Video consumption on platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram surges, while trust in news declines Artificial intelligence begins transforming news engagement, especially among younger audiences Social media and video networks have surpassed…
German court rules AI Overviews are Google’s own content, risking liability Google argues the AI summaries are accurate but admits occasional errors Case could set legal precedent on responsibility for AI-generated information Google is set to challenge a German court ruling that could make it liable for false statements surfaced…
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UK government aims to restrict social media access for under-16s by spring 2027 Moves to curb risky features like livestreaming and stranger contact Experts highlight challenges of enforcement and broader public health strategies The UK government has confirmed plans to bar social media platforms from offering services to under-16s, in…
Bloomberg journalism now accessible directly within CisionOne platform for corporate users Aims to streamline news monitoring and response strategies for communications teams Reflects a trend towards seamless integration of media content and analytics for enterprise agility Bloomberg Media has partnered with Cision to make Bloomberg’s journalism available within CisionOne, the…
Rainer Esser asserts AI will enhance journalism’s value by emphasising human connection Calls for news organisations to recognise their worth and partner confidently with tech giants Personal storytelling highlights irreplaceable human element in investigative journalism If you’re invited to speak at a conference, you really don’t want a slot at…
The Times adopts a specialised, multi-team approach to video content production Video is now a distinct editorial discipline, not just repurposed print stories Distribution strategies evolve with dedicated platforms like the new ‘Watch’ tab At WAN-IFRA’s World News Media Congress in Marseille, Solana Pyne, video director at The New York…
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The Vatican’s encyclical calls for AI regulation based on law, oversight and human judgement Pope warns against autonomous weapons, worker displacement and AI-driven conflict Emphasises the importance of moral language in global AI governance debates Pope Leo XIV has thrust the Vatican into the centre of the global debate over artificial intelligence, using his first encyclical to argue that the technology must be governed by law, oversight and human judgement rather than left to market forces or military competition. Entitled Magnifica humanitas — “Magnificent Humanity” — the document presents AI as one of the defining moral questions of the age.…
Podcasting is evolving beyond audio-only formats to include video and personality-led shows. Major outlets like The New York Times and The Guardian expand video content to reach new audiences. Monetisation models are diversifying with increased focus on advertising, subscriptions, and creator-led enterprises. News podcasting is moving decisively beyond the old audio-only model, with video, personality-led chat shows and creator-style distribution reshaping how publishers make, package and monetise their work, according to a new Reuters Institute report by Nic Newman. The study, The Changing Shape and New Economics of News Podcasting, argues that the medium is being pulled into a broader…
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Simon Robinson, currently a Reuters executive, to lead ABC News in September First external hire for the role in decades amid leadership reshuffle Broadcaster seeks to rejuvenate its journalistic output amid ongoing transition Australia’s ABC has chosen Reuters executive Simon Robinson as its new director of news and current affairs, ending days of speculation after the broadcaster’s surprise leadership change. Robinson, currently deputy to Reuters’ editor-in-chief, will take up the post in September. The ABC said he would become its next Director of News and Current Affairs, and described the appointment as the first external hire for the role in…
Bezos defends the profitability of journalism as a measure of relevance Changes in Google search algorithms threaten traditional news revenue To succeed, news organisations must focus on delivering value and distinctive reporting Jeff Bezos sometimes makes agreeing with him very difficult. This was the case earlier this week when he said in an interview with CNBC that President Donald Trump was “more mature” in his second term than his first and that Amazon’s commission of the Melania documentary was in no way whatsoever an attempt at “buying influence”. It is profoundly depressing that one of the features of this…
James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems to take ownership of Vox Media assets Vox to be split into two separate companies, with distinct portfolios Deal valued at over $300 million, aiming to boost valuation through segmentation James Murdoch has completed the purchase of a sizeable chunk of Vox Media in a deal that splits the digital publisher into two separate companies. According to a statement from Vox Media, Lupa Systems, the investment firm controlled by Murdoch, has taken ownership of Vox, New York magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. The assets will operate as a new company under Lupa ownership, while…
News organisations are recognising the value of individual journalists as brands Traditional anonymity at outlets like The Economist is giving way to increased visibility Embracing star talent can strengthen publishers’ positions and combat talent poaching A friend of mine was, 20 years ago, something of a news media visionary. It wasn’t something he set out to do – he’s a corporate lawyer by trade. He was a committed newspaper consumer, someone who took a competitive, almost athletic pride in how quickly he could devour a morning edition, skimming the main stories and then picking off the columnists he liked.…
The Economist tests agent-readable content to adapt for AI intermediaries New formats aim to balance discoverability with brand control Internal AI adoption speeds product development and fosters ‘vibe coding’ culture The Economist is redesigning parts of its digital operation for a future in which AI assistants, rather than search engines or homepages, increasingly control how audiences discover information. According to Digiday, the publisher is testing agent-readable versions of content that already sits outside its paywall, including marketing and B2B sales pages. The company is exploring how much structured material it can expose to AI systems without weakening the value of…
The CMA approves the $3.7 billion acquisition with a sale of Shutterstock’s editorial arm The move aims to prevent market dominance in UK news imagery The deal highlights industry pressures from AI and digital content shifts Britain’s competition regulator has cleared Getty Images’ $3.7 billion takeover of Shutterstock, but only after requiring the companies to jettison Shutterstock’s editorial photography business in order to ease concerns over competition in the UK news imagery market. The Competition and Markets Authority said the deal could go ahead if Shutterstock sells the part of its business that supplies editorial images, including brands such as…
Axios expands local reporting to 35 cities with plans for 100. AI tools like GPT assist in drafting and editing, reducing costs. The company balances automation with journalistic integrity amidst industry scepticism. Axios is betting that artificial intelligence can do something many publishers have struggled to achieve for years: make local journalism economically viable again. In a conversation on The Media Copilot podcast, Axios chief operating officer Allison Murphy said the company is trying to reduce the cost of producing original local news without abandoning the reporting standards that give the work value. The strategy is already being put into…
Byron Allen expresses continued interest in acquiring The Washington Post Set to control BuzzFeed and HuffPost through latest deal Envisions broader streaming strategy with BuzzFeed to rival established digital outlets Byron Allen has said he still wants to buy The Washington Post, even as he prepares to take control of BuzzFeed and HuffPost in a deal that would dramatically expand his media empire. Speaking to BuzzFeed employees on 19 May, the media entrepreneur said he had once raised the idea directly with Jeff Bezos after meeting him at a party. Allen told staff that he asked whether Bezos would consider…
Examines the American focus on prestigious awards over reader needs Critiques the biased and inward-looking nature of the Pulitzers Argues that abolition could renew journalism’s relevance to the public The difference between American and British journalism is clear in what they choose to display in their newsrooms. Visit any large US newspaper’s offices and you will see a “wall of fame” that commemorates its winners of Pulitzers and other journalism awards. Visit any UK newsroom and you’ll see nothing like that. Indeed, when I worked at The Times the displays on the walls had a slightly different tenor. Among…
Mediahuis and other major news organisations form SPUR to address AI content use Initiative aims to create standard licensing frameworks for AI and journalism Focus on transparency, traceability, and fair remuneration for news content Mediahuis, the acquisitive Belgian publisher with outlets across Europe, has become a founding member of SPUR, an industry coalition set up to influence how journalism is used by artificial intelligence and to push for clearer licensing terms. The Standards for Publisher Usage Rights group is a non-profit, member-funded initiative bringing together major news organisations including the BBC, Financial Times, Guardian, Sky News and Telegraph. Its aim…
