Body-shaming of celebs must stop say showbiz editors | UK top 50 news sites
And US court upholds NewsGuard's right to sit in judgement on the news industry
Good morning and welcome to your daily Press Gazette media briefing on Friday, 28 March.
A few weeks on from the furore between Mail Online and actress Millie Bobby Brown about ‘reporting’ which looked a lot like bullying, senior UK showbiz editors have said they think newsroom culture will change.
The Stranger Things star (who is only 21) had to contend with Mail Online headlines such as "Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown ageing so badly?" and "What HAS Millie Bobby Brown done to her face?".
After she hit back and named the reporters concerned, one of them resigned and apologised for "not being brave enough to say no".
It's an example of the ‘golden rule’ being ignored. This is the code which underpins practically all global religions, and which should be embedded in every newsroom: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you".
And it is also what Tom Stoppard called the "casual cruelty" of journalists in his play Rock 'n' Roll. The writer and the target have both suffered and it has also contributed to a generally toxic discourse about female appearance which does nothing for the mental and physical health of young people.
It was good to hear Clemmie Moodie of The Sun, Katie Hind of the Daily Mail, Camilla Tominey of the Telegraph and Russell Myers of the Mirror address the issue honestly this week (read our full report of their session at the Society of Editors conference here).
The Mail Online reporter in this case actually received death threats. Online safety was another issue which was discussed at the Society of Editors conference, where Carole Cadwalladr and The Sun’s Jerome Starkey warned that online abuse could escalate to real-world harm for journalists.
Today we also report on a legal win for self-appointed press watchdogs NewsGuard who have won a defamation battle which upholds their right to traduce the credibility of publications which they feel have low editorial standards.
In terms of time spent with the site, and page views, Mail Online is the top commercial newsbrand by some margin. One of the fastest-growing top UK news sites is Money Saving Expert, which is in fifth place nationally when it comes to page views (189.7 million). It is an impressive achievement for a niche personal finance advice site.
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On Press Gazette
Showbiz editors say newsroom culture will change post Millie Bobby Brown ‘bullying’ video
Senior editors from Mail, Mirror and Sun say body-shaming of female celebs in media is wrong.
NewsGuard wins free speech ruling in battle with Roger Waters-backed publisher
Consortium News argued NewsGuard had defamed it and infringed its First Amendment rights.
Failure to tackle online abuse of journalists could prove fatal, editors warned
Carole Cadwalladr and The Sun's Jerome Starkey give stark warning over online abuse.
50 biggest UK news websites: CNN engagement boost, Sun audience overtakes Guardian
Press Gazette's exclusive monthly ranking of the top 50 news websites in the UK.
News in brief
A month after more than 40 people in the Los Angeles Times newsroom accepted voluntary buyouts, "dozens" of people on the business side of the organisation have now reportedly been laid off. (Press Gazette)
BBC Scotland’s head of news and current affairs Gary Smith is to step down after almost a decade, saying it has been a “privilege” to have a front row seat as history was made. (Press Gazette)
The BBC has dropped plans to sell ads on its podcasts when listened to via third-party platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The plans, unveiled last year, prompted "outrage" from commercial rivals. (Financial Times)
The case against OpenAI by The New York Times and other publishers will go ahead to trial after a judge rejected the tech company's request to throw out the lawsuit, although it was narrowed slightly. (NPR)
BBC News southern Europe correspondent Mark Lowen has been deported from Türkiye where he was covering protests over the arrest of a leading opposition politician. The BBC says it will "be making representations to the Turkish authorities". (BBC News)
The widow of cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski is suing Fox News over his death in Ukraine in 2022. (The Washington Post)
Le Monde is bundling subscriptions with Warner Bros Discovery's streaming platform Max in France. Le Monde "aim to reach an even wider audience and to increase the loyalty of our subscribers". (The Hollywood Reporter)
Since the US election 125 top companies have advertised on Fox News that had otherwise not aired adverts there for two or more years. Fox's ad sales president told the FT: "In today’s fragmented landscape, this audience is hard to ignore.” (Financial Times)
Axel Springer board member Martín Varsavsky, who last week accused Politico of bias over an AP story it ran about Gaza, has resigned, saying the title's coverage is "not aligned with my own ethical standards". (Financial Times)
The BBC is launching its "biggest public engagement exercise" ever sending an online questionnaire to BBC account holders in the UK "to help identify what they want from the BBC now, and what they want from it in the future". (BBC)
Also on Press Gazette:
2025 journalism job cuts tracked: Los Angeles Times cuts continue
Why Google’s impressive value-of-news study has serious shortcomings
King pays tribute to UK local media at lavish Buckingham Palace reception
Failure to tackle online abuse of journalists could prove fatal, editors warned
Covering second Trump presidency ‘much more difficult’ says NYT’s Mark Landler
Programmatic advertising and Facebook payments drive growth for Digitalbox
Mail crosses 250,000 digital subscribers and appoints first global women’s editor
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How concerned should publishers be about the threat posed to their business models by generative AI? It’s a 9.9 out of ten said MSG.
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