3:54 pm - February 10, 2026
Internal upheaval culminates in Lewis’s resignation Massive layoffs spark criticism and staff protests Jeff D’Onofrio steps in to stabilise the iconic newspaper Will Lewis, the publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, abruptly resigned Saturday evening, ending a tumultuous two-year tenure just days after presiding over one of the largest…
Lenore Taylor announces her departure after 13 years at Guardian Australia, including a decade as editor Under her leadership, the outlet became one of Australia’s most-read news sources, with major award wins A successor will be chosen through an open process, with David Munk serving as interim editor until then…
Fake Facebook pages impersonate New Zealand news outlets, misleading the public with fabricated visuals Synthetic images linked to disasters and political campaigns raise legal and ethical concerns Experts warn about the increasing sophistication and reach of AI-generated misinformation across social media A growing network of Facebook pages masquerading as New…
The Christian Science Monitor is redesigning its print and digital platforms to revitalise its audience. It aims to balance its traditional solutions-oriented reporting with more inclusive and timely coverage. The publication remains financially supported by the Church of Christ, Scientist, as it navigates the challenges of modern journalism. The Christian Science Monitor is attempting a careful revival of a reputation built over more than a century, even as it confronts steep declines in audience and staff that mirror the wider contraction of legacy news organisations. The Monitor represents one of the longest-running experiments in values-driven journalism in the US, and…
The Star Tribune emphasises verification and accuracy over rapid social media reporting. Community responses and legal battles highlight the tensions surrounding the Operation Metro Surge. The newsroom’s careful approach aims to provide fuller, more reliable coverage in a chaotic environment. Amid a saturation of real-time coverage of Operation Metro Surge — the largest federal immigration enforcement deployment in recent memory — the Minnesota Star Tribune is trying to stand apart. Its editors say the paper is deliberately slowing its reporting to verify what is circulating online, even as videos and posts spread rapidly across social platforms. In an environment where…
Danish publishers reconfigure workflows and embrace transparency to build trust Narrow editorial focuses and humanised formats strengthen audience loyalty Strategic AI adoption and collaborative infrastructures underpin sustainable growth Leading Danish publishers are showing how audience-centric strategies and organisational innovation can help newsrooms stay relevant and financially healthy in a turbulent digital media era, according to a report from WAN-IFRA on their recent study tour in the country late last year. The findings distil five key lessons from three of Denmark’s most established media companies — JP/Politikens Hus, Berlingske and Zetland. The core takeaway: traditional news organisations that prioritise user needs,…
Some 60 foreign journalists plead with Jeff Bezos to protect global coverage Staff fear large-scale layoffs could weaken international reporting efforts Industry analysts warn that cuts may diminish the paper’s ability to report from conflict zones About 60 journalists on The Washington Post’s foreign desk have appealed directly to the newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, urging him to protect international reporting as management weighs a new round of cost cuts that staff fear could be extensive but remain unconfirmed. In a letter sent on Sunday, foreign staff described their message as “a collective plea for you to preserve our newspaper’s global…
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports its first year-over-year revenue growth in over 20 years, reaching profitability. Shift from advertising reliance to subscription revenue has been key to its revival. Unique ownership structure under the Lenfest Institute prioritises civic impact and community engagement. Elizabeth Hughes, the publisher and CEO of The Philadelphia Inquirer, this week shared a rare piece of good news in the beleaguered world of American local journalism: for the first time in more than two decades, the 197-year-old newspaper has achieved year-over-year revenue growth and returned to operating profitability. Writing against the backdrop of the recent closure of the…
Swedish editor brings decades of media executive experience to WAN-IFRA role Organisation aims to strengthen support for independent journalism in a changing landscape Appointment signals focus on leadership development and defending democracy WAN-IFRA has named Lena K Samuelsson as Executive Strategic Advisor as the global press body sharpens its focus…
OpenAI confirms ads will appear in free ChatGPT tiers soon, with paid tiers remaining ad-free Ads will be clearly labelled, adjustable, and excluded for users under 18 and sensitive topics Industry experts warn of balancing commercial interests with user trust in conversational AI OpenAI has confirmed that advertising will begin…
Prominent editor of Die Welt steps down after misconduct inquiry Resignation coincides with Axel Springer’s transatlantic expansion Company faces scrutiny over handling of workplace allegations and internal reform One of Axel Springer’s most prominent German editors has stepped down following an internal inquiry into his conduct at a company Christmas…
Symbolic.ai launches AI-native platform for News Corp newsrooms Early results show up to 90% productivity boost in research tasks The partnership signals a potential industry shift towards AI-driven journalism workflows Symbolic.ai, an artificial intelligence startup founded by former eBay chief executive Devin Wenig and Ars Technica co-founder Jon Stokes, has…
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Politico trims 3% of global workforce in strategic realignment WSJ reorganises features and weekend teams for a more nimble, topic-driven approach Industry sees ongoing contraction, with focus on audience engagement and product monetisation Politico has begun 2026 with a round of newsroom departures, cutting roughly 3% of its global workforce…
John Harris steps back from daily management, focuses on strategy and growth Matthew Kaminski takes over as editor in chief, bringing international expertise Move signals Politico’s bid to strengthen its US and global influence in competitive media environment In a significant leadership change at Politico, founding editor in chief John…
Cloudflare updates its open x402 payment-gated proxy template to support wider micropayment use The x402 protocol aims to facilitate programme‑not‑state payments for APIs and content The move aligns with broader initiatives to normalise on‑chain and tokenised payments on the web Cloudflare is expanding its push to make paid access to…
VandeHei and Allen analyse how internet-driven trends transformed news consumption The rise of instant, personality-led journalism and the decline of traditional institutions Acknowledgement of the darker legacies: political entertainment and fractured truths Twenty years after leaving Washington Post and Time to start their own ventures, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen…
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The Pittsburgh Post‑Gazette closes after 240+ years due to financial losses and labour disputes The shutdown highlights the broader decline of local newspapers in the US Experts warn of serious civic and community consequences from the loss of local reporting The decision by Block Communications to close the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, effective May 3, 2026, will bring to an end a title founded in 1786 that long served as western Pennsylvania’s paper of record. The closure is one of the most significant metropolitan newspaper shutdowns in a decade and a stark marker of how financial pressure, labour conflict and structural market…
The Boston Globe aims to deepen neighbourhood coverage and expand across New England in 2026 Recognition from major awards highlights recent investigative achievements New initiatives focus on community engagement, product development, and regional growth Linda Henry, chief executive of Boston Globe Media, has used a full-page year-end message in the print edition of The Boston Globe to outline priorities for 2026, pledging deeper neighbourhood reporting and broader reach across New England. The letter sets a public agenda for how one of the country’s most influential metro newsrooms plans to translate national recognition into sustained local coverage at a time when…
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Semafor raises $30 million, valuing the company at $330 million post-money Funds to boost international coverage and live journalism events Company reports first profitable year with $40 million revenue in 2025 Semafor has closed a $30 million financing round, valuing the digital media startup at $330 million after recording its first profitable year. The US-based company told investors the funds will be used to accelerate global expansion and to strengthen its live journalism events, as it broadens coverage across Washington, Wall Street, Silicon Valley, politics, global business, finance and economics. Semafor plans to hire in overseas markets including the Arabian…
WAN-IFRA aims to capitalise on recent momentum with a focus on AI and experimentation in 2026 The organisation has expanded through the integration of FIPP, creating a global media alliance Priorities include press freedom, media literacy, and strengthening publisher networks amid industry shifts WAN-IFRA is entering 2026 with an explicit reset: a tighter focus on impact, heavier investment in artificial intelligence and audience development, and a push to convert its expanded scale into tangible value for members as a new chief executive begins his tenure. With publishers facing accelerating technological change and sustained commercial pressure, WAN-IFRA is redefining its role…
Instagram’s Adam Mosseri highlights AI’s impact on content authenticity Platforms developing labels and metadata standards to verify images and videos Creators urged to embrace raw, candid content amidst growing mistrust in polished visuals Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, has declared that the era when photographs or video could be taken at face value is over, arguing that advances in artificial intelligence have broken the basic visual trust that once underpinned social media. The warning comes from the executive in charge of one of the world’s most influential image platforms. He believes the problem is not a passing technical glitch but…
Experts predict a divided news industry dominated by global brands and independent creators by 2050 Traditional broadcast and print media face decline, with AI and personalised interfaces reshaping news consumption Preservation of journalistic values and trust deemed crucial for future sustainability By 2050, consuming the news may involve screens that are not really screens, AI briefings delivered through humanlike interfaces or even, as one independent publisher put it, a chip implanted in the brain. Those possibilities emerged from a wide-ranging forecast by Columbia Journalism Review, which convened senior editors, broadcasters and independent publishers to imagine what journalism might look like…
ByteDance agrees to transfer control of TikTok’s US operations to a new majority-American joint venture Deal aims to address US national security concerns through data storage and governance measures Final approval will depend on regulatory scrutiny and implementation of operational safeguards A deal to restructure TikTok’s US business looks likely to head off a long-threatened ban by shifting operational control to American investors while leaving parent company ByteDance with a minority stake. The agreement was first reported by Axios. ByteDance has signed binding agreements to place TikTok’s US operations into a newly formed, majority-American joint venture, with a target closing…
Axios CEO Jim VandeHei issued a stark warning to the media industry this week, declaring America’s information ecosystem “badly broken, deeply polluted and increasingly dangerous.” In a memo outlining the company’s strategic vision for 2026, VandeHei argued that society has officially entered a “post-news era” where traditional reporting no longer defines a shared reality. VandeHei suggests that the “crap trap” of high-volume clickbait – which Axios was originally founded to combat – has evolved into a more complex existential crisis. He describes a “shards of glass” phenomenon where public attention is shattered into countless pieces, shaped more by algorithms, podcasts,…
Meta tests a dedicated Instagram Reels app on Amazon Fire TV devices Focused on shared, large-screen viewing of short-form videos Expansion and feature refinement planned before wider rollout Meta has begun piloting an Instagram app designed for television, bringing Reels to Amazon Fire TV devices in the United States and marking a further push to expand short-form video beyond smartphones. This positions Instagram more directly in the living-room viewing battle, where YouTube has already established a strong presence and where attention, advertising and viewing habits increasingly overlap with traditional TV. It is also yet another challenge, in terms both of…
Google experiments with users shaping their Discover feed using natural language prompts The feature aims to improve relevance and control while streamlining content curation Concerns grow over potential impacts on publishers, content diversity and ecosystem health Google is testing a more granular form of personalisation for its Discover feed that allows signed-in users to tell the service, in plain language, what they want to see and what they do not. The test signals a shift toward explicit, AI-driven control of recommendation systems, a change that could alter how audiences encounter news and how publishers compete for attention on one of…
McGrory to rejoin the Boston Globe as editor in January 2026 His return aims to strengthen digital subscription growth and local investigative reporting The newsroom’s structure and digital focus set to evolve amid industry challenges Brian McGrory will return as editor of the Boston Globe in January, the company said on Monday, marking a comeback to the newspaper where he spent more than three decades and previously led the newsroom from 2012 until early 2023. His reappointment offers clues about how this leading metro paper intends to navigate the next phase of digital transformation and local journalism sustainability. Boston Globe…
Yahoo launches a personalised afternoon audio news digest for US users The new briefing utilises AI technology from Artifact, acquired in 2024 The move highlights a shift towards multimodal, audio-centric news delivery Yahoo is widening its use of artificial intelligence in news delivery with the launch of an afternoon audio digest that personalises headlines for each listener. The move signals how major publishers are starting to treat AI-generated audio as a core distribution format rather than an experiment. The new briefing, called Your Daily Digest, is available on weekdays from noon to 5pm for users of the Yahoo News app…
