The Guardian has launched a new secure messaging feature designed to protect whistleblowers, marking what it claims is a world first for a media organisation. The technology, built in partnership with the University of Cambridge, allows people to share confidential information with journalists in a way that conceals the very fact that messaging is taking place. Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, said the innovation comes at a time when threats to journalists and sources are increasing. “Blowing the whistle on wrongdoing has always taken bravery,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post. “As threats to journalists around the world increase, so does the…

The case before London’s High Court accuses the AI firm of illegally using millions of its images to train its Stable Diffusion model. Getty Images has launched a high-profile copyright lawsuit against artificial intelligence firm Stability AI, with proceedings now under way at London’s High Court. The case is expected to set significant legal precedents for how copyright law applies to artificial intelligence. Getty alleges that Stability AI unlawfully scraped millions of images from its website to train its text-to-image model, Stable Diffusion. The tool generates images from written prompts and, Getty claims, relies on creative content taken without permission…

Japan’s main newspaper association has renewed its demand that generative AI companies seek permission before using journalistic content to train their models, warning that current practices amount to “free-riding” and threaten the sustainability of the country’s news industry. In a statement issued this week, the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association raised fresh concerns about the unauthorised use of news content by AI developers. It pointed to Article 30-4 of Japan’s Copyright Law, which permits the use of copyrighted material for machine learning without prior consent, provided the use does not “unreasonably prejudice the interests of the copyright owner.” But…

Platform accuses chatbot developer of breaching its terms and unfairly profiting from user-generated content. Reddit has filed a lawsuit against the AI firm Anthropic, accusing it of illegally scraping user comments to train its chatbot, Claude. The case, brought in California Superior Court, opens a new front in the growing legal battle against AI firms accused of harvesting online data without consent. According to the filing, Anthropic used automated bots to extract Reddit content in breach of the platform’s terms of use. Reddit’s chief legal officer, Ben Lee, said AI developers must be held accountable for how they gather and…

South African newsroom rolls out new platform, Rev360, to deepen community ties and secure funding without paywall. Daily Maverick has launched a new initiative that uses artificial intelligence to strengthen its membership model and support independent journalism. The platform, called Revenue360 or Rev360, aims to increase reader contributions and improve engagement through a mix of AI tools, community-building features and editorial planning. The project is part of the JournalismAI Innovation Challenge, backed by the Google News Initiative, and reflects growing pressure on smaller newsrooms to find sustainable business models. “Funding for independent media is getting harder and harder to come…

Developers can now facilitate in-app purchases outside Apple’s traditional system using a new partnership between Paddle and RevenueCat, offering a simplified process amidst evolving App Store regulations. Analysis of Alternative In-App Purchase System Supporting Apple Pay Post-Apple’s App Store Regulations Overview of the New Payment System The recent announcement reports that two payment companies—Paddle and RevenueCat—have collaborated to introduce an alternative method for developers to facilitate in-app purchases outside of Apple’s traditional App Store mechanisms. The system is designed to operate seamlessly across iOS and web platforms, allowing consumers to make purchases via Apple Pay through a simplified process that…

The publisher has relaunched its website and app with a comprehensive redesign focused on transparency, unbiased reporting and user engagement. A lack of trust in the news media is a problem that afflicts almost every market in the world. And steadily the number of organisations addressing it head on are increasing. Straight Arrow News, a relatively new entrant to the US media landscape, has announced a relaunch of its website and app with a major redesign focused on restoring public trust through clarity, balance and transparency. Founded in 2021, SAN positions itself as a counterweight to the perceived bias in…

The French digital platform had defied sceptics with a fully subscriber-funded approach. Mediapart, the French digital news platform founded in 2008, has proved the doubters wrong. Launched with a fully subscription-based model and no advertising, it now has 233,000 paying subscribers and nearly €25 million in annual revenue, 99% of it from readers. Speaking at the World News Media Congress in Krakow, CEO Cécile Sourd said the model was essential to the title’s mission. “To truly be editorially independent, we have to be 100% financially independent,” she said, explaining why Mediapart rejects not just advertising but also public subsidies and…

Advertisers are reallocating budgets from traditional audio ads and influencer marketing, while smaller creators gain a bigger share of podcast ad spend. Podcasting is cementing its position as one of the most attractive advertising channels for brands seeking younger, digitally engaged audiences. New research suggests that by the end of 2025, advertisers will increasingly prioritise podcasts – especially video-led formats – over traditional audio and even influencer marketing, drawn by high engagement, strong recall and growing perceptions of authenticity. A report released today by Sounds Profitable, produced in collaboration with Signal Hill Insights, surveyed more than 5,000 American adults to assess how…

The Washington Post is set to transform its opinion pages with Ripple, a pioneering project that integrates perspectives from independent contributors and nontraditional voices. The Washington Post is preparing to significantly expand its opinion offering through a new initiative known internally as Ripple. The project will see the Post publish commentary from outside contributors, including writers from other news organisations, independent voices on platforms like Substack and, eventually, members of the public. Ripple represents a shift in how the Post approaches opinion journalism, aiming to provide a broader range of perspectives than is currently available in its traditional editorial pages.…