63 journalists killed in as many days | More budget cuts expected at BBC
And who is incoming BBC chair Samir Shah?
Good morning and welcome to your daily media news briefing on Friday, 8 December, brought to you today in association with Opti Digital, an adtech company developing innovative AI-based technologies designed to help publishers maximise their advertising revenues.
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63 days into the Hamas-Israel war we are running at one confirmed journalist death per day.
Four were killed after the initial murderous Hamas attack which started the conflict. The remaining 59 have been killed by the actions of the Israeli Defence Force.
Bureau of Investigative Journalist editor-in-chief Rozina Breen today writes about why it is time to end the silence about the killing of so many colleagues.
She does not lay blame for the deaths at any particular door, but I would go further and call on Israel - as a democracy which depends on a free press - to take immediate action to halt the killing of journalists. It goes without saying that the safety of all non-combatants should be respected, but my narrow focus is the world of media and many of those killed have been providing coverage for publishers in the UK and US.
Journalists haven’t just been killed in air strikes, they have been targeted by the Israeli military whilst covering events from inside the Lebanese border.
Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed by an Israeli tank shell whilst reporting from a kilometre inside Lebanon.
Today we also take a closer look an incoming BBC chair Samir Shah, a former journalist seen by some as being an enemy of ‘woke’ thinking.
We report on a rare upheld harassment complaint against journalists working for The Scottish Sun.
And we look at the implications of a 6.7% licence fee rise for the BBC. It is a revenue increase which most commercial publishers would take gladly in the current climate, but the BBC says it will mean an extra £90m of cost cuts must be found.
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New from Press Gazette
63 journalists killed in as many days: Silence from newsrooms is deafening
Editor in chief of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism Rozina Breen is alarmed by the killing of journalists in Gaza.
BBC warns 6.7% licence fee rise will lead to £90m further cuts
“This thirteenth-hour change to funding – coming two years into the existing agreement – makes it very difficult for the BBC to plan and keep within budgets.”
IPSO: Sun pursuit of MSP Natalie McGarry ‘extremely intimidating’
Journalists working for the Scottish Sun followed McGarry’s car onto a motorway when her child was with her. IPSO said “the nature of this pursuit would have been extremely intimidating and harassing”.
Who is incoming BBC chair Samir Shah?
“One of the things that you can see in his record is that he has made many controversial programmes and instead of, after receiving a beating, retreating, he goes on and makes another one.”
Podcast 61: Why bad news can be good for business publishers with Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour
Dow Jones chief executive and Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour spoke to Press Gazette about how the financial news division of News Corp just managed to achieve its most profitable quarter since 2007.
In this edited version of his interview at the Press Gazette Media Strategy Network event in New York this month, he also spoke about what publishers need to focus on as global uncertainty looks set to continue in 2024.
News in brief
Hearst UK has appointed Women’s Health UK editor Claire Sanderson as the new editor of Men’s Health UK, bringing both titles together under a single editor. (Press Gazette)
Yahoo News announced a round of staff cuts on Tuesday, closing a vertical which curated news for young audiences. The general manager told employees the layoffs are not being made to cut costs but to "realign our resources". (The Daily Beast)
Some 700 Washington Post employees went on a 24-hour strike yesterday, the first major stoppage at the paper since pressmen walked out in 1974/5 when Katharine Graham was still publisher. (The New York Times)
The Committee to Protect Journalists has added Financial Times editor Roula Khalaf and Rappler co-founder Maria Ressa to its board. New York Times opinion columnist Lydia Polgreen has also been announced as the board's new chair. (Committee to Protect Journalists)
Forward has taken down its paywall and replaced its subscription model with memberships. The Jewish-American news outlet said it wants to guarantee access to independent Jewish journalism "during this chaotic moment of war, disinformation and rising antisemitism". (Forward)
Vice Media co-chief executive Hozefa Lokhandwala has stepped down, leaving Bruce Dixon as the sole CEO. Lokhandwala, who became co-CEO in February, said he wanted to spend time with family and friends before starting a new endeavour. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Cosmpolitan and Esquire publisher Hearst has entered the puzzle race, buying indie puzzle platform Puzzmo. (The Verge)
Nonprofit the Allbritton Journalism Institute is launching a new publication, News of the United States, to produce “the non-partisan, trustworthy news that Washington needs”. (Semafor)
Previously on Press Gazette
100k Club: Exclusive ranking of world’s top paywalled news publishers
New European ‘in profit’ with 33,000 paying readers seven years after Brexit vote
Future pledges £25m investment and 200 hires to reverse revenue decline
Former Reach audience chief heads up ten-newsletter North of England launch
Sun publisher pays out to celebs over claims of hacking, blagging and deception
Unhappy Guardian complainant launches new watchdog for unregulated media
