Former National World executives introduce Profenx, blending AI tools with creator-led content Company develops a platform to enhance digital content economics and expand through licensing and acquisitions Backed by Jaipur Capital, Profenx aims to reshape publishing with innovative models across global markets A group of former National World executives has…
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…
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…
CNN sues Perplexity AI over copyright violations OpenAI publishes governance framework aligned with new regulations State versus federal fights intensify over AI regulation jurisdiction Three developments last week underscored how fragmented AI governance has become: CNN sued Perplexity AI over alleged copying of its journalism; OpenAI published a governance framework tied to emerging EU and California rules; and the legal battle over state AI regulation in the US continued to intensify. The disputes show AI policy evolving on multiple fronts at once. Copyright enforcement, safety disclosure requirements and constitutional fights over state regulation are advancing separately, forcing AI companies to…
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.…
Goalhanger, launched by Gary Lineker, expands into backing early-stage media companies Moves include investments in Invisible Media and Backyard Cricket to diversify portfolio Company shifts focus from advertising to subscriptions and live events, reaching over 250,000 subscribers Gary Lineker’s media company is expanding beyond podcast production after helping launch Goalhanger Ventures, a new investment arm aimed at backing creator-led media businesses. The move marks a broader shift for Goalhanger as it seeks to build influence across the wider creator economy, not just podcasting. The company has grown rapidly on the back of hit shows such as The Rest is Politics…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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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…
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,…
MIT Sloan Management Review to cease print publication in 2026 Transition to newsletters, videos, social media and podcasts A strategic response to changing management communication trends MIT’s decision to close MIT Sloan Management Review after 67 years marks the end of one of the most durable business school brand extensions…
Byron Allen’s family office to acquire a controlling stake in BuzzFeed for $120 million The deal includes a shift in leadership and a focus on AI and user-generated content BuzzFeed aims to reinvent itself amid declining revenues and a disrupted digital landscape BuzzFeed has struck a deal to hand control…
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Newsweek recovered from debt and declining readership through strategic alliances Key partnerships with Google Cloud and Statista drove significant growth in traffic and trust The revival exemplifies a shift towards collaborative models in legacy media success stories Newsweek’s turnaround under chief executive Dev Pragad has been driven less by internal restructuring than by a series of partnerships that helped rebuild the publisher’s audience, technology and commercial business. When Pragad took over, the company was carrying more than $25 million in debt and struggling with declining readership. Rather than rebuild every capability in-house, Newsweek focused on outside partnerships to supply technical…
The Washington Post begins rehiring staff after massive layoffs in February Some employees returned on a temporary basis to fill critical gaps The move raises questions about the paper’s strategic direction and workforce stability The Washington Post is attempting to stabilise its newsroom after February’s sweeping layoffs by quietly bringing back some of the journalists it had just let go, a sign of how quickly the impact of the cuts became apparent. According to reporting by the Columbia Journalism Review, editors began contacting dismissed reporters in March, asking some to return on what the union calls a “delayed layoff” basis.…
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Douglas McCabe, the long-serving CEO of Enders Analysis, is joining the Guardian later this year as its chief strategy and business development officer. The move marks a major career shift for one of the UK media sector’s most influential analysts. “It is an enormous honour to be asked to support a journalism brand of unique global importance and influence, and that I have passionately followed my whole life,” McCabe said. “At a time when the whole sector faces extraordinary technology, social and political challenges for journalism, the opportunity of helping address them alongside an exceptional and brilliant team is extremely…
South Africa’s largest media company, Media24, has reported a 17% fall in revenue for the financial year ending March 2025, as it winds down most of its print operations and accelerates a shift to digital. Revenue dropped from R3.2 billion ($175 million) in 2024 to R2.58 billion ($141 million) this year. The decline reflects deep structural changes in South African media, with shrinking readership, falling ad revenues and rising distribution costs making many print titles unsustainable. Over the past year, Media24 has scrapped most of its printed newspapers – including Beeld, Rapport, City Press, Daily Sun and Soccer Laduma. Parent…
Google has launched a new tool called Offerwall, designed to help publishers offset the sharp decline in traffic caused by the rise of AI-powered search. Announced on 26 June, the tool offers alternative ways for users to access content, including micro payments, ad viewing and survey participation, with the aim of generating revenue beyond the traditional, traffic-dependent advertising model. Available for free through Google Ad Manager after a year-long trial with 1,000 publishers, Offerwall uses AI to determine the best time to present these options to visitors. Publishers can also add custom actions such as newsletter signups. They retain full…
The BBC has launched two public pilots using generative AI to support its newsroom operations, part of a broader push to explore how artificial intelligence can help with news production while maintaining editorial control and transparency. The first pilot uses AI to generate bullet-point summaries of longer articles. These “At a glance” summaries are designed to give readers – particularly younger audiences – a quick and accessible way to grasp the main points of a story. Journalists generate the summary using a standard prompt, then review and edit the result before publication. “Short, scannable bullet-point summaries have proven popular with…
Reuters has named Rob Lang as its first newsroom AI editor, a new role aimed at accelerating the integration of artificial intelligence across editorial operations. He will take up the post on July 1, reporting to Jonathan Leff, global editor of newsroom AI and financial news strategy. The appointment reflects Reuters’ belief that AI will be central to how newsrooms operate. Lang has been global production editor for Reuters Video News, where he led major changes in video production and delivery. In his new role, he will develop practical editorial applications of AI, support experiments from Reuters bureaus, shape prompt…
The BBC has launched a paid subscription for its news website in the United States, marking a significant shift as it seeks to diversify revenue amid growing pressure on its traditional funding model. American users will now be asked to pay $49.99 a year or $8.99 a month for unlimited access to articles, in-depth reports and a 24-hour livestream of BBC News programming. The move comes as the UK’s licence fee – the main source of public funding for the BBC – faces declining revenue. The fee, currently £174.50 per household, is under review by the British government, which wants…
The Quint’s has seen the average session duration of readers rise by nearly a minute to almost five minutes since the launch of its NewsEasy suite of AI features, according to Tarun Jain, the Indian digital-only news publication’s product head. He told WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media India conference in Chennai that the growth came from building tools around newsroom priorities rather than in place of them. NewsEasy offers a structured reading experience that begins with an “In Short” summary – not a bulleted list but a short, editorially crafted entry point that ends with a teaser or question to draw readers…
The UK’s competition watchdog is preparing to impose sweeping new rules on Google that could reshape how search results and AI-generated summaries work, potentially transforming how publishers’ content is used and surfaced. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is expected to designate Google with “strategic market status” (SMS) later this year due to its dominance in search and search advertising. The designation, part of new digital markets legislation, would allow the CMA to enforce a set of binding conduct rules aimed at promoting fairer competition, greater user choice and more control for content providers. Central to the CMA’s concerns is…
It would be so easy to stand in line, nod solemnly and pretend this new set of synthetic media guidelines is flawless. But someone has to push back on behalf of the industry, so here I am. The report in question comes from Partnership on AI, a major global AI and media ethics group, and is supported by organisations with genuinely good intentions. It lays out thoughtful, well-structured principles for how publishers should handle synthetic media, including the need for traceable sourcing, contextual information, human oversight and heightened safeguards around elections, child safety and manipulated visuals. I agree with…
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping journalism faster than any previous technological shift and demands urgent adaptation from media professionals, warned Rosental Alves at the 10th Innovation, Technology and Journalism conference in Buenos Aires. Alves, a veteran journalist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, described the rise of AI as “an inevitable tsunami that is redefining journalism”. The pace of change, he said, is without precedent. “ChatGPT reached one million users in just five days,” he told the audience, “while Facebook took ten months and Netflix took three years. The important thing now is to become familiar with these…

