1:35 pm - 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…
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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…
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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…
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Foreign firms are able to take minority stakes in British newspapers after MPs voted by a wide margin to relax restrictions on overseas ownership. The House of Commons approved a government-backed amendment allowing companies based outside the UK to own up to 15% of newspaper businesses, a move framed by ministers as a way to protect press sustainability while guarding against undue foreign influence. The vote – 338 in favour to 79 against – paves the way for the long-delayed sale of the Telegraph Media Group. RedBird IMI, a joint venture between US-based RedBird Capital and Abu Dhabi’s state-linked International…
Particle, the AI-powered news app created by former Twitter engineers, is expanding beyond its hallmark summaries to include full-length narrative journalism. A new feature, Long Reads, will allow users to engage with in-depth commentary and analysis alongside concise bullet-point updates. The feature debuts in partnership with The Atlantic, one of the leading publishers of long-form journalism in America. Articles from The Atlantic will now appear natively in the Particle app, allowing readers to move seamlessly between breaking news and slower, more reflective reporting. The collaboration reflects both organisations’ ambition to combine quality journalism with personalised delivery. Since launching in November…
Substack is deepening its investment in video as it positions the platform to attract a wider range of creators and advertisers. The newsletter-based service has rolled out a series of video tools over the past year – including live streaming, mobile video posting and a TikTok-style discovery feed – designed to help creators boost engagement and subscriber numbers. The move, first reported by Digiday, comes as the broader creator economy shifts towards video and amid regulatory uncertainty around platforms like TikTok in the US. Substack’s video features are integrated directly into its app, allowing creators to publish and monetise content…
The Dallas Morning News has named Colleen McCain Nelson as its new executive editor. Nelson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with nearly three decades of experience, will take up the role on August 11. Currently executive editor of the Sacramento Bee and regional editor for McClatchy in California, Nelson has overseen five newsrooms. Her appointment follows a four-month national search to find a leader to guide the Dallas newsroom through digital transformation and regional expansion. She replaces Katrice Hardy, who left earlier this year to run The Marshall Project. Nelson spent 12 years at the Morning News earlier in her career,…
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…
