5:53 am - March 19, 2026
Dow Jones aims for $1bn in annual earnings within five years amid shift to digital and AI-driven products The segment’s revenue now 82% digital, with a focus on subscriptions and data services Growth driven by AI licensing, risk and energy intelligence, and enterprise news News Corp said Dow Jones, the…
Axios cuts 11 newsroom roles to focus on deep subject expertise Company aims to build a ‘newsroom of the future’ blending human skill and AI Shift reflects broader trend towards niche authority in digital media Axios has cut 11 newsroom roles as it pivots away from general assignment reporting towards…
Jamie Stockwell set to start as vice president of news at USA TODAY in March 2026 Will focus on impartial reporting, innovation, and expanding audience reach Brings extensive experience from The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Axios Local USA Today has appointed Jamie Stockwell as vice president of…
Vox names Steve Heuser as executive editor, starting 23 March Heuser brings extensive experience from Politico and Boston Globe Focus on strengthening coverage across politics, policy, and explanatory journalism Vox has named Steve Heuser as executive editor, the company said in a statement, with Heuser due to begin the role on 23 March. The appointment was announced by Vox’s editor‑in‑chief and publisher Swati Sharma, who said Heuser would work with the newsroom’s leadership to shape coverage priorities, bolster editors and reporters, and help steer the outlet’s journalism amid a rapidly changing media environment. At Vox, Heuser will have editorial oversight…
Rashida Jones, former MSNBC president, takes on leadership of Uncensored Uncensored aims to diversify its streaming and social content globally Industry observers see her role as key to scaling Morgan’s digital brand Former MSNBC president Rashida Jones has been appointed chief executive of Uncensored, the digital media venture fronted by British broadcaster Piers Morgan. The appointment puts Jones in charge of strategy, operations and editorial development as Uncensored looks to broaden its mix of streaming and social content beyond its flagship programme, Piers Morgan Uncensored. Her arrival comes as digital news and commentary ventures race to build sustainable models based…
Bonnier News’ profitability increased by 29% in 2025, driven by digital subscriptions Digital revenue now accounts for over 60% of total income, with nearly 500,000 digital subscribers The company anticipates a stronger year in 2026 with continued growth in readership and advertising Bonnier News ended 2025 with sharply improved profitability and continued growth in its subscription business, the Swedish media group said, positioning the company for what its chief executive expects will be a stronger 2026. The results highlight the steady shift toward reader revenue and digital products across the group’s portfolio of national and local titles. The publisher reported…
Traditional newsrooms are overwhelmed with extensive coverage for huge events Readers primarily seek perspective and education, not multiple updates News organisations should prioritise analysis and opinion to better serve digital audiences This is from our weekly Editor’s picks newsletter. Sign up for free here I did something I do very rarely this week: I turned on our television at home in the morning. The reason, unsurprisingly, was the war in Iran. My goal was to get up to date with all the latest news. And I did. If nothing else, rolling TV news stations are always quick on to…
ESPN hires six experienced journalists from The Washington Post amid industry reshuffle New recruits bolster ESPN’s investigative and long‑form sports coverage The move highlights the widening talent gap and strategic shifts after Post’s sports desk closure Five weeks after The Washington Post dismantled its sports desk, ESPN has hired six of the newspaper’s former reporters, a move that follows a similar mass hiring by The Athletic, which is part of The New York Times. The hires reflect a broader shift in sports journalism, as legacy newspapers shrink specialist desks while broadcasters and digital outlets invest in reporting capacity aimed at…
Steve Grove discusses the decline of traditional local newspapers amid rising citizen reporting The Star Tribune adapts through digital innovation, risking operational cuts Signs of growth emerge through increased online subscriptions despite funding challenges Sometimes the context around a conversation reshapes its meaning. That was evident at last Friday’s Good…
RAG combines retrieval and generative models to deliver up-to-date, accurate answers Structured data and schema markup boost content discoverability for AI systems SEO strategies are shifting towards fact clarity and entity prominence to favour AI-driven search answers Retrieval-Augmented Generation — or RAG — is changing how information is surfaced online.…
Indian newsrooms focus on deploying AI for operational efficiency and editorial integrity Practical case studies highlight automation of routine tasks and fact-checking tools Industry emphasises responsible AI use, governance and safeguarding against manipulated content Leaders from India’s newsrooms joined international experts in Bengaluru last week for WAN-IFRA’s AI in Media…
Mediahuis reports marginal revenue growth of 2% in 2025, with a strategic shift from print to digital The company’s radio and online marketplace divisions experience notable expansion Stronger cash position enables further digital investments and cross-border acquisitions across Europe Mediahuis, the Belgium-based publisher which also has titles in the Netherland,…
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Major UK news organisations launch SPUR to combat unauthorised AI training use Aim to establish licensing standards and secure fair compensation for original reporting Initiative underscores concerns over AI’s impact on journalism’s economic sustainability Some of Britain’s largest news organisations have launched a coalition to challenge the unauthorised use of…
Programme targets young media leaders across EMEA to foster responsible AI use in newsrooms 12-week, tuition-free initiative supported by Google News Initiative aims to narrow innovation gap Focus on skills development through real-world challenges, mentorship, and collaborative learning WAN-IFRA has unveiled the NextGen AI Leaders Programme, a 12-week initiative to…
The Washington Post faces over $100 million losses, prompting major layoffs. Costs have risen 16% while output has fallen 42%, highlighting financial strain. Leadership aims to reposition the newsroom as a distinctive, must-read outlet amid changing reader habits. The Washington Post lost more than $100 million last, following a $77…
Politico to launch in Australia, targeting policy professionals and political obsessives Moves into a market dominated by News Corp and Nine Entertainment with a premium, insider-focused model Aims to fill a gap in policy intelligence and deepen political coverage in the Australian context Politico will launch in Australia later this…
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John Mulholland brings decades of international editorial experience to the paper His appointment aims to enhance breaking coverage and long-form storytelling The outlet seeks to innovate tone, technique, and technology in local journalism Kevin Delaney, editor in chief of The San Francisco Standard, has appointed Fleet Street veteran John Mulholland as managing editor, according to a staff memo published by Talking Biz News. Mulholland will oversee day-to-day news operations, working with section editors on breaking coverage and long-form journalism. He will report to Delaney and is due to start on Monday 30 March. He lives in Sacramento and has served…
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 Lenore Taylor has announced she will step down from Guardian Australia after 13 years in senior roles that included a decade as the title’s editor, leaving the organisation she helped establish in 2013. Taylor joined Guardian Australia as a senior member of staff at its May 2013 launch and quickly…
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News Corp will launch a new daily newspaper in Los Angeles in early 2026, expanding its New York Post brand to the West Coast for the first time. The move, first reported by Axios, marks a bold bet on print and digital journalism in a region where local newsrooms have been hollowed out by layoffs and financial strain. The California Post will mirror the style and tone of the New York Post, combining celebrity gossip, sports, opinion and punchy front pages with coverage of local issues and national stories tailored to a California audience. It will be available in print…
Axel Springer has acquired Hamburg-based ad tech firm cmmrcl.ly, deepening its push into programmatic social media advertising and signalling a sharp acceleration of CEO Mathias Döpfner’s strategy to reshape the company around direct audience relationships, first-party data and AI. The deal gives Axel Springer full ownership of a platform already embedded in the advertising supply chains of some of Germany’s biggest retail and media players. Founded in 2020, cmmrcl.ly works with more than 25 data partners across Germany, Austria and Switzerland and offers sophisticated audience targeting built on proprietary data from search, browsing and purchasing activity. The acquisition fits squarely…
Welt TV, owned by Axel Springer, has launched its first AI-generated news programme. The five-minute bulletin, focused on developments in artificial intelligence, is hosted by a synthetic avatar modelled on a real-life reporter, Paul Klinzing. Most of the show’s script and editorial decisions are machine-generated. The avatar opens with a declaration: “I’m not real, but an avatar – however, the news I show you is absolutely real.” It mimics human gestures, facial expressions and speech patterns with impressive fluency, though occasional awkward pauses and odd visual details, such as a remote control in hand and no lapel microphone, underscore its…
Gannett is cutting costs by $100 million and revamping its subscription strategy as it seeks to steady its finances following a difficult start to 2025. The largest newspaper chain in the United States reported second-quarter revenue of $584.9 million, down 8.6% compared with the previous year, but turned a profit of $78.4 million, up sharply from $13.7 million in the same period last year. The savings programme includes closing two major print facilities, shifting some markets to mail delivery and expanding the use of automation and outsourcing in back-office operations. Chief Financial Officer Trisha Gosser said artificial intelligence would be…
Amazon will pay The New York Times up to $25 million a year under their recently signed multi-year content licensing agreement, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The deal, which was first announced in May without financial terms, allows Amazon to use short excerpts and summaries of Times journalism, including content from NYT Cooking and The Athletic, across its consumer products, including Alexa. The content will also be used to train Amazon’s proprietary AI models. Industry sources confirmed to the WSJ that the full amount will be paid in cash. At $25 million a year, the deal…
Google has launched its AI-powered search tool, AI Mode, in the UK, the third country to receive the feature after the United States and India. The tool uses the company’s Gemini 2.5 model to generate conversational, article-style answers within search results. Available via a new tab on desktop and integrated into the Google app on mobile, AI Mode accepts queries by text, voice and image. Users can pose detailed, open-ended questions, from practical searches like “pet-friendly carpet cleaners” to travel planning in cities such as London and Edinburgh. Hema Budaraju, Vice President of Product Management for Search at Google, said…
Google is in discussions to license content from news publishers for use in its artificial intelligence products, according to a report from Bloomberg. The move marks a shift in how the tech giant engages with the media industry, which has raised concerns over the use of journalistic content to train AI models. Google has come in for particular criticism so far compared with its AI rivals as it has rolled out products such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, the latter of which debuted in the UK this week, without striking deals with publishers. The proposed pilot programme would reportedly…
The Daily Mail has announced that all of its digital platforms – including MailOnline – will operate under a single masthead: Daily Mail. The move is designed to eliminate reader confusion and unify its global digital output under one of the most recognised names in media. Alongside the rebrand, the company has set a target of reaching one million digital subscribers by October 2028. It currently has more than 325,000 digital subscribers worldwide, including 20,000 in Australia and 50,000 in the United States. The changes follow the launch of Mail+ last year, which the company says is one of the fastest-growing subscription…
Steven Bartlett, host of The Diary of a CEO, is experimenting with AI to expand the limits of podcast production. His company, FlightStory Studio, has launched 100 CEOs with Steven Bartlett, a series that uses AI voices and animation to deliver scripted episodes telling the stories of prominent business figures including Richard Branson and Elon Musk. While Bartlett still writes the scripts, the hosting and production are done using AI tools from companies such as Runway, ElevenLabs and Wondercraft. The show is available on YouTube and Apple Podcasts and makes clear that it is AI-generated. Georgie Holt, FlightStory’s cofounder, told…
Three small newsrooms in Argentina have shown how AI tools can help local journalism thrive – even in financially constrained settings – by enhancing editorial quality, deepening community engagement and improving operational efficiency. As part of a project led by the regional press association ADIRA and tech company N-Media, the teams at El Debate Pregón in Gualeguay, Ecos Diarios in Necochea and El Libertador in Corrientes used tools such as Google Pinpoint and Notebook LM to take on major projects that would have been difficult or impossible with limited staff and budgets. At El Debate Pregón, journalist Santiago Joaquín García…
