Belfast Live, first Reach 'Live' site, turns 10 | Journalists warn of flagging FOI compliance
Plus why a major BBC study into AI inaccuracies around news is an opportunity
Good morning and welcome to your daily media briefing from Press Gazette on Tuesday 15 April.
Happy tenth birthday to Belfast Live, which was the first digital-only ‘Live’ site from Reach and has since proved a huge success from an audience standpoint in Northern Ireland.
I spoke to editor Sheena McStravick, who has worked at the brand since launch, about what she thinks are its magic ingredients. A concerted effort to report on positive stories and engage those people who usually only see their communities in a negative light in the media seems to be paying off.
We’ve looked at a major study into FOI which interviewed 31 journalists and provides a stark warning about the state of information transparency in the UK and where it could lead if this pattern continues.
And Immediate Media’s director of video strategy and delivery Paul Doyle writes for us in response to the recent BBC study revealing the scale of inaccuracies in AI chatbot responses about the news. Doyle suggests we shouldn’t panic entirely but use this moment as a crucial chance to improve the information ecosystem.
On Press Gazette
Belfast Live team pictured at event on 3 April 2025 to mark the brand's tenth anniversary. Picture: Reach
Reach digital pioneer Belfast Live marks 10 years: ‘We’re positive and proudly non-partisan’
“The news is dominated by very heavy stuff 90% of the time, if not more. So we provide our audience a bit of a balance and a bit of lighthearted relief even if that is something people may criticise us for doing".”
UK ‘at risk of evolving into propaganda regime’ with unenforced FOI rules and official secrecy
One interviewee told the study author they had taken to asking non-journalist friends and family to file FOI requests so press officers wouldn’t intervene in how they were handled.
BBC study revealing scale of AI-generated news inaccuracies is ‘crucial checkpoint’ but we shouldn’t write the tech off
“The key is not to plunge headfirst into unchecked implementation, but instead to take measured steps. We should not simply write off AI as a flawed tool. We should test the waters, assess the situation and decide if the environment is ‘red flag’ or ‘green flag’.”
News in brief
Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday travel and property editor Mark Palmer is standing down at the end of May after nearly 17 years at the titles. (Press Gazette)
Bloomberg’s subscriber-only finance newsletter has seen a 142% increase in sign-ups this month so far compared to the March average, with a nearly 72% week-over-week increase in downloads amid Trump's tariff turmoil. (Vanity Fair)
Getty Images chairman Mark Getty says the UK Government's "failure… to understand the key role that human content plays in AI is terrifyingly shortsighted" and that using IP "to build a commercial AI product without compensation is not innovation. It’s exploitation". (The Times)
The White House is planning to ask Congress to rescind $1.1bn in approved funding for NPR and PBS, according to The New York Times.
A jury has been selected for the retrial of Sarah Palin's libel case against The New York Times. Opening statements are scheduled for today. (The Guardian/Associated Press)
The Home Affairs select committee has said UK laws restricting what police can say about criminal cases are "not fit for the social media age", citing the surge of misinformation around the Southport stabbings. (The New York Times)
An Associated Press reporter and photographer was barred from the Oval Office on Monday despite last week's order from a federal judge that the US government should not discriminate against the agency over its coverage. Two AP photographers were allowed into a South Lawn event the same day, however, while an AP text reporter was turned away. (AP)
Readly has acquired Swedish magazine app Arcy from Bonnier News and as a result become a content provider to Bonnier's bundle product +Allt. Arcy has 11,600 subscribers and +Allt has more than 900,000. (Readly)
Last week on Press Gazette
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Latest podcast: Jim Mullen's legacy at Reach | Value of news to Google | Sun losses, Times profits
Press Gazette's editorial team share their insights into big stories from the world of news. Charlotte Tobitt talks us through the latest News UK accounts, which show losses at The Sun shrank in the year to June 2024 while The Times reported a £60m profit.
We react to news that Jim Mullen, the divisive CEO at Reach, is stepping down. And Bron Maher looks at the arguments and counterarguments being made by publishers and Google over what news is really worth on its platforms.