7:08 am - September 15, 2026
B2B publishers excel in redefining their value propositions and embracing change Bold pivots, like Euromoney’s shift from journalism to intelligence services, highlight adaptability AI is viewed as an asset rather than a threat, used to enhance specialised content and customer experience There is a lot to learn from B2B…
Berkshire increases stake in The New York Times to $1.1 billion Rising digital subscriptions and advertising boost publisher’s performance Investment signals confidence in media’s digital transition and subscription model Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has continued to build its position in The New York Times, extending a bet on legacy media…
Macron advocates for a unified European ban on social media use for children under 15 The EU aims to deploy a privacy-respecting age verification app by 2026 Critics highlight challenges in rolling out secure and effective age checks across member states French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for an EU-wide…
Byron Allen cuts 35% of BuzzFeed’s workforce to improve profitability Restructuring aims to shift focus towards streaming via Local Now Company plans significant cost savings and content realignment Byron Allen has begun a sharp overhaul of BuzzFeed, cutting about 180 jobs and contract roles across BuzzFeed, HuffPost and Tasty in what amounts to roughly 35% of the workforce. The reductions, disclosed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, are the first major restructuring since Allen’s family office took control of the digital publisher in May. BuzzFeed said the move is designed to simplify operations, lower costs and…
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 the form of a book review. Not perhaps a suggestion for the sun lounger, but nevertheless one that every journalist should read. It’s called AI in the News Room and it was written by Martin Schori, former head of the AI Hub at Aftonbladet in Stockholm and now the…
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 its platform for automatically repurposing editorial content across multiple digital channels. The round was co-led by IBB Ventures and XTR Capital, with participation from ddvg, Dutch media investor V-Ventures and a group of business angels. It follows a $500,000 pre-seed investment secured in late 2024. Founded in 2024, Beatsquares aims…
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 many journalism events?” So said Marcela Kunova, the owner and operator of journalism.co.uk (JUK), last week. She continued: “I just looked at my agenda and JUK events calendar. It’s gone out of hand. Conferences, festivals, summits, workshops, talks, congresses, study tours, awards. Dozens of great events are clustered between April…
Disney-owned 20th Television partners with Vox Media Studios to develop scripted and unscripted projects Focus on adapting journalism and podcasts from Vox Media brands for Disney+ and other outlets Partnership reflects industry trend of transforming established media content into premium streaming entertainment Disney-owned 20th Television has struck a multi-year first-look agreement with Vox Media Studios, broadening a relationship that will give both companies room to develop scripted and unscripted projects built around Vox Media’s reporting and podcast brands. The deal is expected to feed into Disney Entertainment Television outlets including Disney+, with a particular emphasis on adapting material from New…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Top stories
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…
Complaint alleges that OpenAI and Microsoft used nearly 400 newspapers’ reporting without permission Case marks the largest coordinated legal action by local news publishers on AI training issues Suit aims to protect local journalism and challenge the use of copyrighted material in AI development A coalition of local newspaper publishers…
Forbes launches Forbes Creator to leverage social media personalities New platform combines journalistic content with creator autonomy Aims to expand reach, diversify content, and develop commercial opportunities Forbes is deepening its push into creator-led distribution, using social media personalities and specialist voices to widen its reach beyond its own platforms…
Social media and video now the primary news sources globally Trust in news drops to a historic low of 37%, with Americans trusting only 25% News organisations face the challenge of rebuilding trust amidst AI content proliferation Forget the World Cup, for news nerds this week has brought unbridled excitement…
Deep dive with
our insights
A debate in Lexington underscores tensions between traditional reporting and AI-assisted news The Kentucky Lantern champions human-made journalism, while Lexington Times utilises AI for coverage The dispute reflects broader challenges facing shrinking local news ecosystems across the US A small but telling dispute in Lexington, Kentucky, has opened a wider argument about the future of local journalism, especially the role of artificial intelligence in newsrooms that are trying to survive with fewer staff and thinner budgets. The spark came when Linda Blackford, editor-in-chief of the Kentucky Lantern, wrote about AI and journalism and stressed that the Lantern’s work is produced…
Bonnier News poised to become majority owner of Irish media group after partnership expansion Deal under review by regulators, with new leadership and board structure upcoming Business Post Group cites significant financial recovery and growth prospects Swedish publisher Bonnier News is set to become the majority owner of Business Post Group, in a deal that will leave founder Enda O’Coineen with a significant minority stake through his Kilcullen Family Office. The transaction marks a further step in a relationship that began in 2023, when Bonnier took a minority equity position in the Irish company. It still requires approval from the…
All stories
High-profile American investors linked to proposed TikTok ownership transfer Deal aims to address national security concerns while maintaining platform stability Collaboration includes bipartisan efforts and potential Chinese approval, with significant media and tech influence involved President Donald Trump has announced a significant development in the ongoing negotiations to bring TikTok’s American operations under U.S. ownership, revealing that prominent figures from the corporate and media world—including Lachlan Murdoch, Larry Ellison, and Michael Dell—would be involved as investors in a proposed deal. The deal aims to transfer the majority ownership of TikTok’s U.S. assets from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to a…
ABC News overtake news.com.au as the most-read Australian news website in August The Australian’s recent growth driven by third-party aggregators rather than subscriptions Australian news readership remains high, with over 20 million accessing news online ABC News and news.com.au have solidified their positions as the leading news websites in Australia, creating a significant gap between themselves and their closest competitors. According to the Ipsos iris ranking report, which extrapolates national readership from data collected across 8,000 devices, ABC News attracted over 13 million monthly readers in August. News.com.au followed closely behind with 12.683 million readers, marking a 5.4% increase from…
FAZ+ celebrates seven years with a special rate of €7 per month for seven months Offers include exclusive international reports, podcast access, and a free Emsa thermobecher Emphasises commitment to high-quality, trustworthy journalism supported by subscriptions The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) is celebrating the seventh anniversary of its premium service, FAZ+, by offering readers a reduced rate of €7 per month for seven months. The move highlights the publisher’s continued push to grow digital subscriptions as advertising revenues across the industry remain under pressure. Launched in 2017, FAZ+ provides subscribers with exclusive foreign correspondence, in-depth political and economic analysis, and…
La Repubblica launches a €69 annual bundle with The New York Times The joint subscription includes unlimited digital content, podcasts, newsletters and interactive features Reflects broader industry trend of strategic bundling to boost digital subscriber numbers The Italian daily La Repubblica has joined a growing number of publishers partnering with The New York Times to offer bundled subscription deals. Under the agreement, subscribers to La Repubblica gain full digital access to both its content and the NYT’s for an annual fee of €69. The bundle gives users unrestricted access to La Repubblica’s premium site, app, podcasts, exclusive newsletters, interactive content…
OpenAI introduces behaviour-based age verification and stricter content restrictions for under-18 users New measures respond to lawsuit and public outcry regarding harms caused by AI interactions with minors Industry debate intensifies on balancing safety, privacy, and freedom in AI platforms OpenAI is introducing stricter protections for teenagers using ChatGPT after a lawsuit alleged the chatbot contributed to the death of a 16-year-old boy. The move comes amid mounting legal and political pressure over the risks generative AI poses to vulnerable young users. In a blog post, CEO Sam Altman said the company will roll out behaviour-based age prediction, which estimates…
Trump claims Times misinformation damages his reputation and business interests Lawsuit revolves around articles and book Lucky Loser and alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein Trump accuses Times of partisan bias during 2024 election; Times denies allegations Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, four of its journalists, and publisher Penguin Random House, alleging they damaged his reputation and business interests through false and malicious reporting. Filed in federal court in Tampa, Florida, the suit focuses on Times articles and the book Lucky Loser, which Trump claims contained defamatory material, including what he calls…
Trump accuses The New York Times of publishing false and malicious reports Legal action targets articles and the book “Lucky Loser” linked to defamation claims Suit claims economic harm amid ongoing media-political conflicts Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, four of its journalists, and publisher Penguin Random House, alleging they damaged his reputation and business interests through false and malicious reporting. Filed in federal court in Tampa, Florida, the suit focuses on Times articles and the book Lucky Loser, which Trump claims contained defamatory material, including what he calls a fabricated link…
Gannett unveils DeeperDive, an AI tool replacing traditional search on USA Today The system provides factually accurate, source-cited answers from proprietary content Gannett aims to counter AI-driven traffic loss and explore new revenue opportunities Gannett, publisher of USA Today and more than 220 other titles, has rolled out DeeperDive, a generative AI answer engine designed to reshape how readers interact with its journalism. Unveiled by CEO Mike Reed at the WIRED AI Power Summit in New York, DeeperDive replaces the search bar on USA Today’s homepage with a conversational tool. It prompts readers with suggested questions — such as “How…
Financial Mail, one of South Africa’s best-known weekly financial magazines, will publish its final edition on 30 October, ending a 65-year run. Parent company Arena Holdings said the brand’s editorial expertise will be folded into daily sister title Business Day. Arena CEO Pule Molebeledi called the move “an important new chapter” and stressed there would be no job losses, with staff moving into roles at Business Day. He praised Financial Mail’s record of “sharp analysis” and “thought-provoking financial coverage,” saying readers would benefit from deeper daily insights as the two titles’ strengths are combined. The closure reflects the wider financial…
Penske Media files first major US lawsuit against Google over AI Overviews Accuses Google of diverting web traffic and reducing publisher revenues Growing regulatory scrutiny delays Google’s move to default ‘AI Mode’ in search engines Penske Media Corporation, publisher of Rolling Stone, Billboard and Variety, has become the first major US media company to take Google to court over its AI-powered search feature, AI Overviews. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that Google is unlawfully using Penske’s journalism to generate AI summaries that keep users on its search page, diverting traffic and cutting into advertising and…
