Alison Phillips steps down as Mirror editor | Third of UK news subscribers consider cancelling
And why police dropped investigation into Hull Live election day vox pops
Good morning and welcome to your daily helping of news about the world of news from Press Gazette on Monday 15 January.
The departure of Alison Phillips as editor-in-chief of on the Mirror titles (confirmed this morning) is more grim news for Reach.
Her exit follows a year in which more than 700 jobs have been cut by the UK’s biggest national and regional news publisher, although we understand her role is not being made redundant.
She follows group editor-in-chief Lloyd Embley, head of sport Mike Allen, former content director Alison Gow, audience director Ed Walker and many other long-established figures out of the door at the publisher over the last year.
The filleting of editorial talent at Reach has come about because of falling print circulation and declining online advertising revenue. Without a new major revenue stream (such as subscriptions or events) to make up for the shortfall, costs must be cut to maintain margins for shareholders.
The question is how can Reach hope to bounce back with so many of its best people now working elsewhere (many of whom are joining competitors)?
Today we also report on a sobering piece of research which reveals that more than a third of online news subscribers are considering cancelling. Cost is the biggest reason for cancelling subscriptions, the UK research suggests, yet paywalled news prices are climbing ever higher to make up for advertising revenue shortfalls.
Highlights from our news diary for the week ahead include:
The Rwanda Bill is back in the Commons
Senior figures at Fujitsu are set to give evidence to the Horizon IT scandal public inquiry (a real popcorn moment for anyone who has watched Mr Bates vs The Post Office)
And the US presidential election race starts in earnest with Donald Trump heavily tipped to win at the Iowa caucuses and so take a step towards winning the Republican nomination ahead of the national vote in November.
New from Press Gazette
Mirror editor-in-chief Alison Phillips steps down after six years
“I will always be beyond proud to be part of a team which showed each day that great journalism can be done with kindness, and be a voice for the decent, compassionate people of this country. I wish everyone there all the very best for a brilliant future.”
Survey suggests 37% of UK news subscribers are considering cancellation
The survey echoes the results of research by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism last year which found that around one-third of UK news subscribers cancelled or renegotiated their price in the course of the previous year.
Updated: Why police dropped investigation into Hull Live polling day vox pops
An earlier FOI response sent in September 2023 had refused to share any information about the investigation, saying disclosure would breach the Data Protection Act. This decision was subsequently “revised”.
News diary 15-21 January: Davos, Rwanda bill back in Commons, Trump defamation damages trial
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
Podcast 63: Political reporting in an election year with Chris Hope and Gloria De Piero
In the latest episode, Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford met GB News presenting duo Gloria De Piero and Christopher Hope. They spoke about their new weekly show, PMQs Live, the future of political reporting in an election year and why they think GB News is striking a chord with viewers by offering them more of what they want.
News in brief
Open Democracy has appointed Huffpost deputy executive editor Aman Sethi as editor-in-chief. (Press Gazette)
The Jewish Chronicle has been ordered to publish a correction by IPSO after it reported allegations of anti-Semitic comments by a Durham PhD candidate as fact. IPSO said that while the JC took steps to verify the claims, it did not do enough to present them as unproven. (IPSO)
NBC News is reportedly laying off somewhere between 50 and 100 employees. NBC News and MSNBC cut about 75 jobs last January. (Deadline)
Tech industry blog Platformer has said it is leaving Substack as a result of a row over how to moderate pro-Nazi content. Editor Casey Newton said it will join Ghost instead. (Platformer)
The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Knight Institute, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Reporters Without Borders & Freedom House have written to Joe Biden asking him "to promote the conditions for safe and unrestricted reporting amid hostilities" in Gaza. (CPJ)
After billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman accused Business Insider of anti-Semitism for a story reporting his wife committed plagiarism, an internal review at the Axel Springer-owned title has concluded the article was “accurate and well documented”. (Financial Times)
Cheddar News, the business news streaming channel founded by now-Future chief executive Jon Steinberg, reportedly has only an estimated half-dozen staff left working on editorial content and a single live news show still in production. (CNN)
A group of South Korean artists including Parasite director Bong Joon-Jo has urged media outlets in the country to delete some stories about the death of actor Lee Sun-kyun. It comes after details from Lee's alleged suicide note were published in some outlets. (The Guardian)
OpenAI’s chief operating officer has told Bloomberg that "99%" of the company’s talks with media have been positive, saying: "I think everyone kind of intuitively guessed that there's some important intersection here of technology and industry." He added that the New York Times lawsuit won't "distract" them from other companies. (Bloomberg)
Semafor reports that a decision by Apple to switch off automatic podcast downloads for those who have not listened to five episodes of a show in the two weeks prior has caused major listenership figure declines for the most frequently-published podcasts. (Semafor)
Previously on Press Gazette
Survey: two-thirds of Brits follow local news, mostly via social media and TV
Journalists gain access to 16 more family courts in major boost to open justice
Legal experts say OpenAI has ‘case to answer’ in showdown with New York Times
Joint editor-in-chief of Women’s and Men’s Health UK explains new membership focus for brands
DC Thomson revenue flat year on year but investments decline fuels £162m loss