Puck and Air Mail deal unites two premium brands The move expands Puck’s reach into luxury, travel, and lifestyle sectors Reflects ongoing consolidation trend in subscription newsletter market Puck has finalised its acquisition of Air Mail, the upscale weekly newsletter founded by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley, in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at about $16 million. The deal brings together two subscription-first brands targeting affluent, culturally attuned audiences. Air Mail, launched in 2019 after Carter’s departure from Vanity Fair, built a reputation for high-end travel, culture and society coverage. Puck, founded in 2021 by Kelly, has…

Creators now often surpass traditional outlets as primary news sources on social platforms Significant country differences in news engagement with influencers Gender and platform dynamics are redefining the media landscape Creators and influencers are becoming central to the way people consume news, according to a new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ). The study, Mapping News Creators and Influencers on Social and Video Networks, draws on survey data from 24 countries and expands on the 2025 Digital News Report to chart the growing role of individual personalities in shaping public understanding of news. The findings…

Creators now often surpass traditional outlets as primary news sources on social platforms Significant country differences in news engagement with influencers Gender and platform dynamics are redefining the media landscape Creators and influencers are becoming central to the way people consume news, according to a new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ). The study, Mapping News Creators and Influencers on Social and Video Networks, draws on survey data from 24 countries and expands on the 2025 Digital News Report to chart the growing role of individual personalities in shaping public understanding of news. The findings…

Tammy Tam appointed as publisher to oversee both content and business Editorial independence emphasised amid organisational changes Moves aim to enhance cohesion and financial resilience in a changing media landscape The South China Morning Post (SCMP) has named editor-in-chief Tammy Tam as its new publisher, a position created to oversee both editorial and business operations. The restructuring aims to align the Hong Kong newspaper’s journalistic and commercial ambitions under a single vision. Tam, who has led the newsroom since 2016, will now assume responsibility for the paper’s broader strategy. Before joining SCMP in 2011, she held senior editorial roles in…

Research reveals nearly half of AI-generated news responses contain significant errors Gemini and ChatGPT perform notably worse in sourcing and factual accuracy Experts warn of risks to public trust and democratic processes from unreliable AI news tools Artificial intelligence assistants from some of the world’s biggest tech firms are struggling to tell the truth about the news, according to a wide-ranging new study by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC. The research, conducted with 22 public media organisations across 18 countries and in 14 languages, examined more than 3,000 AI-generated responses to news-related questions. It found that 45%…

Wikimedia reports an 8% drop in site traffic due to AI-driven search AI tools like ChatGPT now surpass Wikipedia in user engagement Calls grow for ethical regulation to protect open knowledge platforms The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, has reported a sharp fall in traffic to its site, blaming the surge of artificial intelligence chatbots and AI-generated summaries. Marshall Miller, Wikimedia’s Chief Product Officer, said AI tools that deliver instant answers are changing how people find information. Search engines and assistants increasingly draw on Wikipedia’s content to generate summaries, leaving fewer users clicking through to the site itself. An upgraded…

Matthew Garrahan, FT journalist with nearly 30 years’ experience, joins Redbird Capital as operating partner Redbird’s planned acquisition of The Telegraph awaits regulatory approval The deal signals a strategic shift aiming to grow the newspaper’s digital and international presence Financial Times journalist Matthew Garrahan is leaving the publication after nearly three decades to join Redbird Capital Partners, the US private investment firm in the process of acquiring The Telegraph. Garrahan becomes operating partner for news and entertainment, based in London, where he will help drive growth across Redbird’s expanding global media portfolio. The appointment highlights Redbird’s effort to blend editorial…

Influencers accounted for nearly half of online political content during Canada’s recent federal election Platforms’ policy changes led to decline of traditional news and increased influence of less reliable sources Report warns of future risks including division, misinformation, and lack of platform transparency Influencers, not journalists or politicians, drove nearly half of Canada’s online political conversation during this spring’s federal election, according to new research. The report from the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN), coordinated by McGill University and the University of Toronto’s Media Ecosystem Observatory, found that influencers accounted for 47 percent of political content on major social…

Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, becomes editor-in-chief at CBS News Her appointment sparks controversy, reflecting wider ideological divides within US journalism Weiss aims to restore trust and independence at CBS, navigating a highly polarised media environment Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, has been appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News following Paramount Skydance’s $150 million acquisition of her digital media platform. Weiss, 41, will report directly to David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance. The newly created role marks a major shift in the network’s leadership and editorial direction. The move brings one of the most outspoken voices in…

Matt Murray affirms Jeff Bezos’s non-interference during major newsroom restructuring The Post faces staff departures and internal conflict over editorial direction Emphasis on digital innovation and AI while maintaining core journalistic values Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post since June 2024, has insisted that owner Jeff Bezos has shown “zero meddling” in the newsroom’s operations during what he calls a “massive transformation” of the newspaper. In a rare interview with the newsletter Status, Murray said the Post remains committed to its journalistic principles despite sweeping organisational change. “I can say emphatically, Jeff has zero involvement in editorial decision-making,”…